BREWDOG'S beers have been axed by almost 2000 pubs across the UK, it has been reported.
The Scottish beer giant has seen its Ellon brewery’s famous Punk IPA distribution drop by more than half in the last two years.
The figures come just weeks after the firm announced the closure of 10 bars across the UK, including in Scotland. The closure plans, which are part of a fresh strategy for the brewing firm’s hospitality arm, have put close to 100 jobs at risk.
The numbers have been revealed to The Telegraph by an industry insider using confidential pub industry data, with claims BrewDog is losing to rival brands like Camden Town and Beavertown “like you wouldn’t believe”.
Last year, we reported on how BrewDog lost £59 million in 2023, according to the company’s latest accounts.
For the fourth year in a row, the firm posted significant pre-tax losses.
While it recorded losses of £12.5m in 2020, £9.4m in 2021, and £30.5m in 2022, last year’s losses are more than those three years combined.
BrewDog said every independent brewer is affected and claims it anticipated the decline.
According to the industry insider, the axing may see BrewDog more reliant on the 794 JD Wetherspoon pubs, which are a key segment of its remaining distribution,
“If they ever lost the JD Wetherspoon deal, then that’s Punk IPA done as a [pub trade] product,” they said.
Lauren Caroll, BrewDog’s chief operating officer, said: “Independent brewers across the board have felt the squeeze from the economic pressures hitting the pub trade. With costs rising and consumers watching their spend, pub groups have been narrowing their ranges, and brewery-owned pubs are putting more emphasis on their own brands.
“It’s not just us – every independent brewer has been affected. We saw the trend coming, which is why we’ve shifted focus to high-impact channels like festivals, stadiums, and independent [pubs].”
According to BrewDog, the confirmed bars closing are:
- Aberdeen Flagship (Gallowgate)
- Brighton
- Camden
- Dundee
- Leeds North Street
- Oxford
- Sheffield
- Shepherds Bush
- Shoreditch
- York
