17/02/2026 09:29:00
BrewDog has called in advisers to oversee a sale that could trigger a break-up of one of Scotland's best-known businesses. Sky News has learnt that the board of BrewDog has appointed AlixPartners, the restructuring experts, to field interest from potential bidders. Sources said that AlixPartners had begun sounding out prospective suitors in the last few days, with a quickfire deadline for indicative offers understood to have been set. A deal could see many of BrewDog's roughly 220,000 individual shareholders, who became investors through its 'Equity for Punks' scheme, left with little return from their average outlay of about £400. James Watt, who remains one of BrewDog's biggest shareholders, is now reportedly considering a bid to buy the company back.
Heineken will cut up to 6,000 jobs in both brewing and white-collar roles over the next two years, amounting to about 7 per cent of its global headcount, as the Dutch brewer struggles with declining demand for beer, reports the FT. The cuts will come from brewery closures and consolidation already under way in Europe, as well as merging smaller markets into "clusters" to eliminate costs and centralising back office operations, finance chief Harold van den Broek said.
Nathan Wall has hit the ground running at Proper Pubs, outlining a growth strategy rooted in quality, consistency and the enduring strength of the community pub. Wall, who was appointed managing director of the community wet-led arm of Admiral Taverns six months ago, said his early months in the role were focused on understand the estate before driving it forward. He told the Morning Advertiser the company was aiming to add or convert between 20 and 30 pubs this year, with plans to grow its estate, which currently consists of 238 sites, to around 300 over the next few years. However, Wall stressed expansion would not come at the expense of standards. "Community wet-led pubs are absolutely critical. They're resilient, lower cost to operate and they bring people together," he said.
Leading hospitality and leisure CEOs have written a letter to the chancellor calling on the government to ditch plans for a tourist tax in England. The 200 signatories include Butlin's, Haven, Hilton, IHG Hotels and Resorts, Merlin Entertainments, Parkdean Resorts, Travelodge and Whitbread, who warn that the proposed visitor levy will "hit families hardest, put jobs at risk and drain money from local businesses and communities". The proposed tax would make Brits pay an extra £100 or more for a two-week holiday in the UK, which signatories say could pressure families to shorten trips, forgo travel entirely or spend their money elsewhere, reports Hotel Owner.
Greene King is preparing to cut around 100 roles as Britain's second-largest pub operator reviews its cost base against a backdrop of rising taxes and mounting pressure across the hospitality sector, writes City AM. The brewer and pub group, which operates roughly 2,600 sites across the UK, is understood to be assessing changes to its head office and central functions. No final decision has reportedly been made. The move would mark the second restructure in under two years, after Greene King previously reduced roles across head office and field operations in a bid to position the business for what it described back then as "challenging times".
A Farringdon pub has been given the Disney treatment by owner Shepherd Neame to celebrate the venue's reopening, reports Pub & Bar. A display of more than 1,000 balloons floating above The Hoop and Grapes transformed the five-storey building into a real-life version of the house from Disney film 'Up', marking the return of one of the area's most distinctive pubs.