Craft beer maker Brewdog snaps up Draft House pub chain
Independent craft brewer BrewDog has snapped up the Draft House chain of pubs, in one of its first ever major acquisitions.
Under the deal, the Scottish firm will buy all 14 Draft House sites, increasing the number of UK bars it owns by more than a third, from its current 33.
All 213 of Draft House employees are to be kept on at Brewdog, and the company said that it would be investing in the sites with possible expansions being explored.
SEE ALSO:
- Henkell buys a majority stake in cava producer Freixenet for €220mn
- Bundaberg to expand US footprint with PepsiCo distribution partnership
- AB InBev's Budweiser replaces Carlsberg as the FA's official beer partner
Charlie McVeigh, who founded the business nine years ago, said that the businesses “couldn’t be in better hands” as he handed the reins over to David McDowall, managing director of BrewDog’s bars business, who will now become the managing director of Draft House.
“I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved together and delighted to hand the business over to BrewDog for its next stage of growth,” McVeigh added.
Alongside its UK sites, BrewDog also has 17 international bars with locations in the US, Australia and Italy.
The transaction values the Draft House brand at around £15mn, the Telegraph said according to sources close to the matter.
Speaking of the purchase, McDowall said: “At BrewDog we are obsessed with making other people as passionate about craft beer as we are, and in speaking with the Draft House team we recognised that there was a great opportunity to combine our efforts and really have an impact on the UK bar landscape by working together.”
He added: “Draft House has got an incredible team of engaged people and we’ll be doing everything we can to empower them in their business and offer them the support they need to achieve their career goals. The two most important things for us are our beer and our people and we’re excited to extend that to our new family at Draft House and would like to offer a massive welcome to every single one of them.”
