Foundation Inns and Close Imperial sign up to SIBA DDS

Managed operators Foundation Inns and Close Imperial have signed up to the Society of Independent Brewers Association (SIBA) beer delivery service.

The SIBA Direct Delivery Service (DDS) is used to source local beers for pubs across the country.

MA200 business club members Foundation Inns and Close Imperial, both with six sites, are both run by Ian Grundy and Gavin Drew. Foundation Inns won Best Newcomer at the MA200 awards this week.

"Locally brewed, quality beer is something customers increasingly expect to find on the bar in our pubs, just as they want to see locally sourced food on the menu," said Grundy.

"We've sought to offer local guest ales in those pubs where there's demand, and for us, SIBA DDS has proved a simple and very effective way to source them."

Beer prices are negotiated centrally, but each manager orders his own local beers.

One of the first Foundation Inns pubs to buy through DDS was the Kings Head and Bell in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Manager Steve Hipgrave said: "DDS is working well for us. I can choose from around 60 local beers now, which gives the pub a real USP in Abingdon, as most of our competitors, being tied to a particular brewery, can't offer anything like that variety.

"It's a powerful business driver for us."

SIBA DDS is used by around 2,000 pubs and has increased its deliveries of local beers by 12.6% in volume over the last year.