It's Rockwood's round
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• A national, West Midlandsbased drinks distribution service supplying shops and offlicences and specifically aimed at smaller brewers has been launched by Rockwood Distribution Services.
The operation, which centres on a single warehouse in Kingswinford just outside Birmingham has already won contracts with Samuel Smith and Theakstons following a trial scheme last autumn.
Brewers take their products, mostly cans and bottles, to the warehouse, from where Rockwood distributes to retailers. Rockwood, bought by Rockwood Holdings from Tate and Lyle in August, claims the centralised warehouse system cuts costs and attracts smaller and medium-sized companies which do not have fleets of their own.
The operation, part of Rockwood's larger food and drink distribution network, has involved "substantial investment" and sparked interest from a number of brewers. The company says new vehicles will be bought as required. Rockwood already distributes beer, wine and spirit for Jenks Brokerage — a contract it won last year. O TNT's claim last week to have won Britain's first thirdparty dedicated brewery distribution contract in a deal with Northern beer firm Boddingtons (CM 14-20 January) is "absolute rubbish", according to National Freight Consortium and brewer Whitbread.
The companies say that a similar operation, Bar Delivery Services, was set up five years ago as a joint enterprise to distribute Whitbread beers, wines and spirits to the firm's own pubs in London and the Home Counties. BDS says it is "furious" about TNT's claims.