BrewDog co-founder James Watt to invest millions in rescue bid

James Watt is attempting to take back control of BrewDog by ploughing £10m of his own money into the craft brewer, according to reports.

Over the weekend, Sky News reported that the co-founder and former boss of the beer and bar chain was in the process of organising a consortium of external investors to acquire BrewDog’s bars, brands and brewing businesses in their entirety. 

It was also believed an initial round of bids had been made at the start of last week as advisers sought an imminent sale of the struggling business. Watt stepped away from BrewDog in 2024 after 17 years at the helm.

While several multinational brewers were expected to have shown interest in BrewDog’s brewery and beer assets, the fate of its bars business was “less obvious”, according to Sky News.

Meanwhile, The Times reported that Watt is understood to have secured private equity backing for a deal that would include some of BrewDog’s pubs and its factory in Ellon, Scotland.

The paper added that about a fifth of the company, currently owned by retail investors, could be carried over, while Watt would hold about half the firm and his backers the rest under the latest proposals.

However, it also conceded there is “no guarantee” a deal will take place.

The Telegraph reported that HSBC has secured its debts against BrewDog’s brewery, giving it the right to seize the site if necessary, in a bid to avoid further losses on its loans.

Watt remains a major shareholder of BrewDog alongside Martin Dickie, who launched the business with Watt in 2007, but who also left the company last year, citing personal reasons.

BrewDog, which produces Hazy Jane and Punk IPA, is 21% owned by TSG Consumer Partners, which invested £213m in the business in April 2017. Last week, it was confirmed that BrewDog had appointed restructuring experts AlixPartners to gather interest from potential bidders.

In October last year, the craft brewer confirmed a round of job cuts. At the time, chief executive James Taylor stated in a note to employees that it was necessary to “right-size parts of the business” as a result of a “tough and fast-changing market”.

In July 2025, BrewDog closed 10 bars across the UK, including its Aberdeen flagship.

BrewDog reported a pre-tax loss of £37m in 2024, the fifth year in a row it had failed to make a profit.

BrewDog has been contacted for comment.

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