Brewdog to close ten pubs 'from Aberdeen to Camden' as staff 'given days' notice
Brewdog is set to close down ten pubs across the UK "from Aberdeen to Camden" as staff are given three days' notice, according to union officials.
Unite trade union have slammed the Scottish bar chain as it announced the news on its social media.
The union claimed that staff at ten Brewdog locations across the UK have been told that their store will be closing on Friday - meaning workers would have only had three days' notice.
Although the whereabouts of the ten bars shutting down and the number of potential jobs lost remain unclear, Unite have noted that they include boozers "from Aberdeen to Camden".
Unite Hospitality posted the news on X. It read: "Brew Dog have announced that they are closing 10 flagship bars from Aberdeen to Camden, as soon as THIS FRIDAY!
"In what universe is THREE DAYS a morally (or legally) acceptable notice period for a proper redundancy consultation for the workers impacted?!"
BrewDog has been contacted for comment.
BrewDog, popular for its craft beer, was co-founded by tycoons James Watt and Martin Dickie in Fraserburgh in 2007.
The ' punk ' brewers set out to disrupt the world beer market with a non-stop series of irreverent stunts and shock-tactic promotions that hugely boosted their profile, bringing a cult following among beer fans worldwide.
The Scottish pub chain opened its doors to its first BrewDog pub in 2010 in Aberdeen.
However, in 2021 BrewDog was forced to apologise to a number of ex-employees after they accused the company, and its co-founder James Watt, of fostering a 'culture of fear' in which workers were bullied and 'treated like objects".
An open letter saw 61 former employees allege that the brand frequently cut corners on health and safety and created a 'toxic' culture that left staff suffering from mental illness.
Last year, saw a staff backlash after BrewDog announced that it was dropping out of the accredited real living wage scheme. The firm described it as a 'necessary' step to help it return to profitability after making a £24m operating loss in the previous year.
James Watt stepped down as CEO not long after following 17 years at the helm of the company. Watt's reins were handed over to chief operating officer James Arrow - who also stepped down earlier this year in March due to "personal reasons".
The coming closures comes after Brewdog shut down six bars - three in Europe, one in China and two in England - at the start of this year after it lost a record £63 million.
James Arrow told staff and shareholders at the time: 'And whilst our bar estate has been very resilient, we've not been immune, and some locations have felt the impact more acutely than others.
'Unfortunately, we recently made the tough decision to close four of our international bars.
"Our focus has been on liaising with affected teams and finding them alternative locations where possible.'
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