North Brewing Co: Award-winning brewery with Birmingham city centre bar looks set for administration

A craft brewery which owns a bar in Birmingham city centre is looking for “additional investment” after it filed a notice of intent to appoint administrators.

The owners of North, formerly North Brewing Co, John Gyngell and Christian Townsley, said Covid, Brexit and increased costs had hit the business and the wider industry. The business is still trading and all North venues are unaffected, they confirmed.

The brewery, which is based in Leeds and has eight bars in the West Yorkshire city, was crowned Brewery of the Year 2023 by Brewers Journal. The company also runs the Birmingham venue the North Taproom at Snow Hill in Snow Hill Queensway in the city centre.

The bar was North's first taproom outside of Leeds. This was followed closely by a tenth venue Manchester. The Birmingham bar, which opened in 2022, serves varied drinks, and Asian street food. The Birmingham taproom is housed in a modern glass building by Snow Hill station. The 2,500sqft taproom currently seats 100 inside, with space for an additional 30 standing guests, and an extensive covered outdoor seating area that seats a further 50.

What has the company said about the trading issues?

A statement from North, read: "Following press reports we can confirm that we've submitted a notice of intent. We’re currently working with advisors and have recently commenced a process to seek additional investment into our business, which will enable us to push forward with our plans for 2024 and beyond.

"Like the rest of the hospitality and brewing world, over the last 4 years we’ve endured the turbulence of Covid, Brexit, material cost increases, cost of living crisis and interest rate rises. As a result, we’ve been looking for investment and will have news to share in the coming days.

"Due to the commercial nature of the discussions, we can't say more but will keep you updated as soon as we can share further details. All North Bars and venues are unaffected by the above."