When Brewdog can't survive in Shoreditch, it's a stark warning: is this last orders for the British pub?
It feels like shouting into the void. Only a few weeks ago, I was writing about the plight of the British pub, calling on the government to raise glasses, not taxes.
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And now this. The news that even a titan like Brewdog is shuttering ten bars, including its Aberdeen flagship, is not just a corporate headline; it’s a blaring siren for a sector pushed to the absolute brink.
Brewdog’s own statement lays the blame squarely where it belongs: “rising costs, increased regulation, and economic pressures.” Let’s translate that from corporate-speak.
This is the direct, predictable result of a government and local councils who see the hospitality sector not as a vital cultural and economic asset, but as a cash cow to be milked dry.
Crippling business rates that bear no relation to reality, a VAT rate that punishes an industry still recovering, and relentless duty hikes have created a perfect storm.
The irony is staggering. Here is a British success story, a global brand born in a Fraserburgh fishing town, admitting it cannot make a profit on the high streets of York, Oxford, or even London. Let’s be clear: when the ultimate hipster brand can’t survive in Shoreditch of all places, the game is truly up.
If Brewdog, with its economies of scale and international clout, can't make these prime locations viable, what hope does an independent publican or a small family-run restaurant have? They are being taxed and regulated into oblivion, set up to fail by the very bodies that should be championing them.
This isn’t just about the price of a pint of Punk IPA. Behind every closed door are jobs lost and livelihoods shattered. Unite the union rightly points to the human cost, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the policymakers who have created this hostile environment.
These closures are symptoms of a deep-seated disease: a governmental disdain for the businesses that give our towns and cities their character.
The closure of these Brewdog bars should be a final, desperate wake-up call.
The government and councils must stop treating our pubs and bars like an ATM.
It’s time for a fundamental review of business rates and a reduction in VAT for hospitality.
Give this vital sector a fighting chance, before there’s nothing left to save.
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