BrewDog cheers sales growth

Craft brewer BrewDog has seen revenue jump in 2015 but profit remained flat as it invested in growing its capacity.

BrewDog co-founders James Watt and Martin Dickie.

The Aberdeenshire-based firm said underlying earnings stayed at about 2014’s £4.9 million as overheads almost doubled to £14.1m, while revenue hit £44.7m from £29.6m.

There was year-on-year growth of 131 per cent in UK sales, and the firm said this “would have been higher” if it had been able to meet demand.

“However we have made significant investments in the last 12 months, both in the UK and overseas, to give us massive increases in capacity, which should stand us in great stead for years of sustained growth,” the annual report and accounts noted.

It added that the focus on 2015 was “laying the foundations” for its next five years of growth.

“In last 12 months we have invested heavily in the brewing capacity, the infrastructure and the personnel to enable us to really put a dent in the world of beer,” said BrewDog, which claims to be the number one craft brewery in the UK.

The company noted that it opened 16 bars in the year including Aberdeen and Glasgow, as well as Barcelona, Stockholm, and Rome. Earlier this year it launched a bar and eatery in Hong Kong.

It said: “We now employ over 580 people, ship our beers to over 60 countries around the world, operate 31 BrewDog bars in the UK and 45 globally.”