Fake pub showcases best of bar taps

A Wolverhampton bar taps manufacturer has set up a £25,000 fake pub to showcase its designs - and business has increased six-fold ever since.

Classic Dispense, based in Lincoln Road, Heath Town, has installed the fully-functioning bar as a way of showing off its creations.

The classic English pub-style showroom was the brainchild of managing director Chelsea Burns, aged 23, who was brought in to help father and son Mel and Paul Bailey, from Finchfield, market their business to the masses.

Now, a big contract for 13,000 taps with Heineken has been secured, and the personal touch has garnered interest from brewers in China, Spain, Denmark, Hong Kong and Italy.

Paul, 49, said customers have been hugely impressed with their new set up.

He said: "We used to have customers in the office, they would give us an idea of what they wanted and we would bring them a few designs.

"But you could guarantee you'd show them four or five and it wouldn't be what they wanted.

"Now we have this showroom that displays all the designs, so we can go and sit in there and even when you're just sat down talking, they are still looking at all the different designs.

"The idea was to give them more of an opportunity to see what the designs would look like in a real pub, it has worked really well."

They also like to share a dram or two of Market Drayton-brewed Green Monkey ale with customers to give them a real pub feel.

He added: "The credit must really go to Chelsea, she came in and said that she could really see the business taking off if it was marketed properly.

"She's taken us completely to another level."

The trio were recently in Brau in Nuremburg, Germany, to promote the business and try and build more international contacts.

Paul added: "Chelsea had the idea to create a stand that was like a pub environment there, and it looked really good with all the wood, lots of people were commenting and congratulating us.

"A lot of companies just had white shelving with their products on which looked very clinical compared to ours.

"We got lots of interest which will hopefully turn into business in the new year.

"Our focus now is to become more of an international business and win contracts with the really big brands."