Major brewery with £16.2m turnover to close city bar, leaving punters devastated
PUNTS were left devastated after a popular drunk made the announcement will shut up for good later this month.
Tiny Rebel Brewery, in Newport, has just announced that it is being forced to close up shop after just under a decade on the high street.
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The Newport-based brewery announced on social media that it was no longer financially viable to keep the bar open.
Despite a huge turnover of £16.2m last year, Wales’ biggest brewery can no longer keep up with the cost of living.
Tiny Rebel said: ‘Since the pandemic, Newport city center has been slowly imploding, with the retail and hospitality sectors bearing the brunt.
“Visitor numbers have declined, operating costs have increased significantly and the hospitality sector has received limited support from the government.
“Unfortunately, our Tiny Rebel Bar in Newport High Street has fallen victim to these factors.”
The brewery added that they have tried to stay afloat over the past year and a half, but are now forced to make this difficult decision.
The company claimed that they will do everything they can to support their current staff, whether they stay with them or move.
The Newport bar is open until March 31.
Tiny Rebel was created by friends Brad Cummings and Gareth Williams who started brewing at home in their garage.
Over the past ten years, the company has grown exponentially and is now worth millions.
The company has a popular bar on Westgate Street, Cardiff, and a brewery in Rogerstone.
The Newport Brewery initially opened as a pop-up in 2015 and continued to operate due to its popularity.
Local punters have been devastated by the news, with many taking to social media to air their grievances.
One Facebook user wrote: “This really sucks. Tiny Rebel is certainly one of the main attractions of Newport City Centre, without it it will only get worse.”
Another said: “No, absolutely gutted, the staff there are all absolutely amazing! Geek Retreat had such a good Christmas party there last December, we were hoping to celebrate the store’s second birthday there too.”
While a third said: “Absolutely gutted.. my favorite bar/pub.so I’m going to miss the dirty chips, wings, great beer, tunes and staff.. can’t believe it.”
Former colleagues even joined the crowd of discouraged fans.
One posted: “One of the best places I’ve ever worked. I wish all my ex-colleagues the best for the future. One love, guys.”
The news comes just days after a popular family brewery based in Knutsford, Cheshire, revealed it will close for good.
The English family brewery has been supplying beer to pubs for fourteen years and says it is “really sad” that “the end of the road has been reached”.
On Facebook, the brewer explained how “unprecedented increases in the cost of living, fuel prices, raw materials and many other factors” ultimately made it “no longer viable” for them to continue.
A report last year found that 45 British craft breweries have become insolvent – a big jump from the 15 bankruptcies the year before, according to Just drinks.
The major drinks giant Brewdog permanently closed a brewery location on an iconic beer mile last year.
According to Brewdog, the venue had to close due to “rampant inflation, rising energy costs and relentless pressure on the cost of living”.
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