Small suppliers owed money by BrewDog are expected to get back less than a penny in the pound. That is the position in the latest report from the brewer's administrators, reported by the BBC on 18 September 2026.
01What the administrators' update says
According to the BBC, BrewDog owes around £190m to unsecured creditors. Unsecured creditors are those with no security over the company's assets. Most trade suppliers fall into this group.
The administrators, AlixPartners, expect those creditors to receive less than 1p for every £1 owed.
The update also covers BrewDog's bar business. The administrators said there were "insufficient funds" to pay that company's preferential creditors. According to the BBC, these include £2.4m of unpaid VAT owed to HMRC.
Why has the position got worse? The administrators gave two reasons. Asset sales raised less than expected, and the costs of the administration rose.
02Who is owed money?
In April the BBC reported that almost 500 firms were owed about £20m between them. Most are in the UK. They ranged from coffee shops, bakeries and laundry services to councils and large packaging firms.
BrewDog's brand, UK breweries and 11 bars were sold in March to the US drinks firm Tilray for about £33m. The debts to suppliers stayed behind with the old companies.
03Why this matters if you supply a bigger business
BrewDog is one case, but the pattern is a common one. When a customer enters administration, ordinary suppliers are paid near the end of the queue. Often there is little or nothing left.
Administrations are also rising. According to the Insolvency Service, 182 companies in England and Wales entered administration in August 2026. That is 44% more than in July.
So what can a supplier do? Register the claim with the administrator, then plan as if the money is not coming back. The gap in your cash flow has to be covered another way.
Our new guide sets out the first steps and three ways to cover the cash gap, ranked by speed. It also explains why invoice finance will not fund the unpaid invoice itself.
If the gap is a large one, a broker can look at growth finance options across a wide range of lenders.
