LCB reveals how ‘trust and experience’ has helped in its expansion

London City Bond can simplify and streamline logistics for businesses in the drinks sector. db finds out how it achieves this.

Hot on the heels of success at The Drinks Business Awards, where it picked up the prize for Best Distribution Company, London City Bond (LCB) might have been tempted to sit back on its laurels, but nothing could be further from the truth.

With 16 warehouses providing 2.4 million square feet of dedicated warehouse space, ranging from overground and port-centric locations most suited to general trade customers, to temperature- and humidity-controlled overground and underground locations ideally suited for fine wine clients, LCB can offer a unique range of solutions.

With the recent acquisition of additional space, the business is ready and able to welcome onboard new customers. Those doing so will join the likes of Boutinot, Hallgarten & Novum, Sazerac, Proximo Spirits, Campari Group, Champagne Lanson, Laurent-Perrier, Farr Vintners and Flint Wines, to name but a few.

WHAT ELSE DOES LCB OFFER?
The answer is a range of services that are often the envy of its competitors. Leading the way is its fleet of dedicated vehicles delivering an impeccable service to customers throughout the UK – in contrast to others, who rely on third-party parcel or pallet carriers. With more than 1,500 trade customers, seamless inter-bond trading between sites is a cost- effective, daily occurrence. Each site can offer a range of re-work activities, designed around customer-specific requirements. Meanwhile, at the company’s dedicated fine wine sites, a range of services is tailored to the needs of a demanding fine wine trade.

The recent establishment of a dedicated ecommerce centre at Sawston, near Cambridge, brings the advantage of being able to offer this growing sector a solution to hold stock under bond right down to the point of despatch – even by the single bottle.

Of course, this all needs to be backed up by robust systems – something that LCB has been at the forefront in developing over the years, whether it be warehouse management, stock control or the company’s popular driver’s e-pods, which help it to safely deliver more than 1m orders every single year.

It has taken some time to get where it is – in fact, 36 years in its current format – but this period of time has allowed LCB to build up a wealth of experience unrivalled in the tax warehousing industry. However, complacency must never set in and, for this reason, LCB works closely and tirelessly with its customers to listen to what they need and to work with them to ensure that those needs are met, be it additional space, new services or anything else that is important to their businesses.

The senior team at LCB is small and continues to be led by Alf Allington as managing director, who has done a sterling job for LCB, and for the wider industry, since day one.

Warehousing can often be taken for granted, and certainly there can be a feeling of being the unsung heroes. Very often things are taken for granted, in that stock for an important event will turn up on time and in full – almost as if by magic. In a way, this is a compliment as it indicates the level of trust that customers place in LCB, and in the team of experienced staff who are happy to work in the background to provide the all- important service factor.

They are, on occasions, asked to go that extra mile, with a recent example being opening up a warehouse to pick and then deliver an order that a customer had forgotten to place for an important tasting – on the night that England played in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
With the uncertainties of Brexit behind us, one remaining potential issue is how the new Government will deal with any changes to excise duty rates, duty stamps on spirits, WOWGR registrations, etc. But what can be taken for certain is that LCB will continue to work with various organisations to help customers find a way through any changes, with the overwhelming aim being to help customers simplify their businesses and streamline their logistics requirements.
With a growing number of lengthy contracts now under its belt, LCB has also emphasised that it still has the passion to grow.

Plus, with a nod to how things are evolving, it has already identified that it would be foolish to ignore the growing trend towards low- or no-alcohol products and, while the need to make use of a tax warehouse could be questioned, there is already ample evidence of this sector making use of LCB, with one major reason being its ability to provide a delivery service to establishments already taking delivery of alcoholic products