Gist has extended its successful partnership with Carlsberg UK by another five years, and will be opening and managing a new regional distribution centre (RDC) in Leeds.

The new RDC will manage stock arriving from the Carlsberg brewery in Leeds and serve trade customers in the North. Carlsberg is boosting its packaging and distribution capacity, and the opening of the new RDC in Leeds follows the installation of a new bottling plant and the forthcoming installation of a new canning facility at the Leeds brewery.

Gist has worked in partnership with Carlsberg since 1999 and currently transports four million barrels of beer and 1.4 million cans a year for the brewer.

The Leeds RDC complements Carlsberg's existing distribution centre in Northampton, also managed by Gist. Bottles and cans from Leeds will be transported by Gist onto supermarket networks, independent retailers, cash & carries and wholesalers across northern England and Scotland.

As well as receiving product from the breweries, Gist's warehouse team will also be responsible for verification checks, order pick-up and consolidation, dealing with returns and loading up export containers for Carlsberg's Tetley beer.

Carlsberg's logistics director Andrew Caswell commented: “Carlsberg UK and Gist have created an effective partnership over the years, and as such it is natural that the new contract includes the management of our flagship take-home distribution depot in Leeds.”

Peter Bradford, Gist's director - food & drink, remarked: “The collaboration between the Carlsberg brewery staff and the Gist warehouse team has exemplified the value and importance of effective supply chain management and, in the case of Leeds, the combined team has made the brewery more flexible and able to deal with sudden changes in consumer demand.”