BrewDog has hired restructuring experts to run a sale that could see the company split up.
The board has asked the advisers to find possible buyers, new reports show.
The Scottish craft beer business best known for Punk IPA and Elvis Juice, has hired restructuring experts AlixPartners to run the sale.
Potential bidders are already being contacted and there is a tight timetable for first offers, Sky News reports.
The move follows five consecutive years of losses and comes amid mounting pressure on independent brewers across the UK.
About 220,000 small investors who bought into the firm through its ‘Equity for Punks’ crowdfunding scheme could end up with little back from the roughly £400 they each put in.
Between 2009 and 2021, the brewer collected around £75million by selling shares to customers. In return, investors were offered perks such as money off in bars and early access to new beers.
The process unfolds against a backdrop of severe difficulties for independent brewers, with Black Sheep’s parent company recently sold via pre-pack administration.
BrewDog has endured persistent losses in recent years, recording a £37million deficit against revenues of £357million last year.
The company has shuttered numerous bars and made significant staff reductions as it battles challenging trading conditions.
BrewDog has made a major closure announcement | GETTY
Once valued at £2billion, sparking investor hopes of a future stock market flotation, the business is now expected to fetch a considerably lower sum.
TSG Consumer Partners acquired a 21 per cent holding in 2017 at a valuation exceeding $1bn, granting BrewDog coveted unicorn status. However, the company’s fortunes have deteriorated markedly since that investment, with mounting financial pressures taking their toll.
James Watt, who stepped down as chief executive in 2024 but remains among the company’s largest shareholders, is reportedly exploring a bid to reacquire the business he co-founded with Martin Dickie in 2007.
Sources indicate Watt is actively seeking backing from financial supporters for a potential buyback.
Last year, the company also drew criticism after announcing it would no longer hire new staff on the real living wage, instead paying the legal minimum wage | PA
BrewDog currently operates 72 bars worldwide, spanning locations from London to Las Vegas, and employs approximately 1,400 staff.
The company holds a four per cent share of the UK off-trade grocery market by value and produces five of the eight leading craft beer brands in Britain, including Hazy Jane, Wingman and Lost.
Its four brewing facilities, located in Ellon, Scotland, alongside operations in the United States, Australia and Germany, could potentially be sold off separately depending on how the sale process develops.
BrewDog stated that following “a year of decisive action in 2025, which saw a focus on costs and operating efficiencies”, the appointment of AlixPartners represents “a deliberate and disciplined step with a focus on strengthening the long-term future of the BrewDog brand and its operations”.
The company described itself as “a global pioneer in craft beer
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GETTYThe company described itself as “a global pioneer in craft beer: a world-class consumer brand, the No.1 independent brewer in the UK and with a highly engaged global community”.
“We believe that this combination will attract substantial interest, though no final decisions have been made,” the company added.
BrewDog confirmed that its breweries, bars and venues continue operating normally and declined to comment on further speculation.
The brewer was established in 2007 and gained a reputation for innovative, often controversial marketing under its founders.
