Local ales boost sales!

The Edgar Wallace

40 Essex Street, London WC2R 3JF

Licensee: Shane Feeney

The famous thriller writer Edgar Wallace is remembered with this high quality city pub just off Fleet Street, but for landlord Shane Feeney there's no mystery when it comes to dealing with SIBA's Direct Delivery Scheme (DDS). 'I have been in the Scheme for nearly two years and would have been in earlier if I had known about it,' he says, 'I have nothing but praise for the way it works. We place the order and when the brewery is told of the order it is delivered. I also find that there is usually a longer sell-by date on it as well so we are getting fresher beer.'

The pub is a beer-lovers' paradise, with up to eight hand pumps dispensing cask beer from the likes of Nethergate, Hogs Back and Rebellion as well as other SIBA members further afield. Feeney says that being part of the Scheme has allowed him to offer his customers a greater choice of cask beers, while he has also seen his business grow. 'There has definitely been an increase in the sale of cask beers since being in the Scheme,' he says. 'I would say that sales have doubled in the last two years, so I would recommend it to others. However, it is important to think about how much you can sell. You're better off having a few beers in excellent condition than loads not selling. Quality is crucial.'

Local brewery: Nethergate

Nethergate are based on the Essex-Suffolk border and have won countless awards for beers such as Suffolk County and Umbel Ale. According to their Sales Director Roger Clark, DDS has been a big boon for them. 'I am delighted with it and it works really well for us,' he says, 'it has given us access to a market which we never had before.'

Local sourcing: the facts

l In a survey of 200 pubs 57% of licensees said beer sourced through DDS had grown total pub business

l The most important reasons for this growth were increased choice and availability of local ales

For more information see

www.siba.co.uk/dds

or phone 01765 640441