Wales' biggest brewery announces closure of one of its bars 'with a heavy heart'

Tiny Rebel has announced it will close one of its bars for good later this month. The Newport-based brewery will close its bar on High Street in the city at the end of the month, saying it was no longer financially viable.

In a post shared online, Tiny Rebel, which is Wales' biggest having seen a turnover of £16.2m last year, said it had "worked tirelessly to keep the bar financially viable" having first opened it back in 2015 before opening its Rogerstone brewery base two years later. It said it had recently carried out a full review of its business and had decided to close the bar at the end of March due to falling footfall and huge increases in operating costs.

The brand said Newport city centre "has been slowly imploding, with retail and hospitality suffering the worst of it". Newport's High Street has seen a boost recently with the success of Newport Market since it reopened in 2022 and the new 500-capacity Corn Exchange music venue, which launched last weekend.

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"Footfall has been decreasing, operating costs have increased significantly and the hospitality sector has had limited support from the government," the post said.

"Unfortunately, our Tiny Rebel Bar on Newport High Street has been a casualty of these factors. Over the past 18 months we have worked tirelessly to keep the bar financially viable but it has got to a point where we have had to make some difficult decisions to ensure the future of the business.

"Sadly, this means with a heavy heart we’re announcing the closure of Tiny Rebel on Newport High Street. We are doing everything we can to support our staff in their next steps, whether that’s with us or an opportunity somewhere else. Newport bar will remain open until March 31 when we’ll be closing its doors for the last time."

Tiny Rebel was started shortly before 2010 by friends Brad Cummings and Gareth (Gazz) Williams who began home brewing in a garage. The company is now worth millions and has a popular bar on Westgate Street in Cardiff in addition to its brewery taproom in Rogerstone. Its Newport High Street bar opened as a pop-up back in 2015, taking over an empty charity shop, which the brand said it had done "to try and bring some choice, creativity, and most importantly, fun back to the city centre at a time when it needed it".

"A huge thank you to our incredible staff and Newport Rebels who came through our doors and supported us over the last nine years," it continued, adding: "Here’s hoping that this is less of a goodbye and more of a see you soon at either our flagship Brewery Taproom or Cardiff Bar."