Auckland brewery Little Creatures closing its doors due to Covid-19

Tuesday, 22 February 2022

Little Creatures brewery in Auckland’s Hobsonville Point will close its doors temporarily as a result of the effects of Covid-19.

The venue announced on Facebook on Tuesday that its last day of trading would be February 27, however a spokeswoman for the venue said it would reopen.

“We have not set a firm reopening date at this stage, but we hope to welcome you all back in the not-too-distant future,” the post read.

Little Creatures said its team had adapted and persevered through four lockdowns and Omicron, resulting in over 200 days unable to work or trade normally over two years.

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Under the red traffic light setting, running a hospitality venue was uncertain and precarious, the post read, and under current rules the brewery could not get enough people through the doors.

“We still have a lease to pay, staffing challenges and our costs continue to rise,” the message read.

“We are a large venue with 750 seats and in normal times we would regularly see thousands of people through the venue over a weekend.”

Many of the brewery’s team were moving to Lion’s beverages warehouse to fulfil orders.

In its post, the brewery encouraged Aucklanders to support neighbouring businesses Siamese Doll and Fabric.

On Monday the Government announced a new Covid-19 support payment of $4000 per business plus $400 per full-time worker would be made available for some businesses affected by the Omicron outbreak.

Finance Minister Grant Robertson said, to qualify for the payment, businesses had to show a 40 per cent drop in seven consecutive days within the six weeks prior to the shift to phase two of the Government’s Omicron response on February 15.