Eats

Seven Brothers quietly closes Middlewood Locks venue

Gutting.

Danny Jones - 28th January 2025

Manchester beer masters Seven Brothers have quietly announced that their Middlewood Locks venue has closed its doors.

The local brewery has built an impressive empire across Greater Manchester over the past decade, with two other Northern sites in Liverpool and Halifax to boot, not to mention a well-established online store as well as being stocked in supermarkets up and down the country.

However, one of their smaller sites over in Salford – where the brand was born back in 2014 – has sadly had to call it a day after more than five years.

Residents at the Middlewood Locks apartment complex, which served as its primary customer base, first noticed that the venue was closed last Wednesday (22 January) and now Seven Brothers have confirmed as much in a brief statement on their website.

Although no news has been shared on social media, a quick search for the Middlewood bar on their Locations page reveals a short update.

“It is with a heavy heart that we have had to take the decision to close our Middlewood Locks beerhouse. Apologies for any inconvenience”, the statement reads.

Commenting under their most recent Instagram post, one punter wrote, “Just walked by there’s a van and staff taking furniture apart inside”, while another added: “Really gutted about this! Nice staff, decent food and nice vibe.”

Offering no explanation as yet as to the reason behind the closure, we can only assume the business is facing many of the same pressures other UK independents are, especially in the hospitality sector.

This week alone has sadly seen the closure of the legendary Northern burger franchise Almost Famous, as well as dessert specialists Lazy Sundae – and we’re only Tuesday.

Popular Manchester ice cream brand Lazy Sundae has sadly announced the permanent closure of its original Northern Quarter site. 🍦💔

Read more and see the closing statement in full here👇https://t.co/vIkxxFjALI
— The Manc (@TheMancUK) January 28, 2025

We’d love to just all of these closures on something in the air and hope it goes away soon before claiming any more hospitality casualties, but the reality is that news like this is simply the result of the ongoing economic pressures facing everyone.

Not only is the cost of living crisis hitting everyone at home and preventing them from being able to go out and enjoy a night at the pub like so many regulars did at Seven Brothers, but with business rates and energy bills continue to climb for local companies like this, it’s becoming harder and harder to stay afloat.

We’re truly gutted for everyone on the receiving end of these unfortunate circumstances and pray that everyone gets back on their feet as soon as possible.

We got some real gems in 2024 and we’d rather not see that list get longer this year.