An automated warehouse system, comprising: at least two stacked longitudinally extending racks that are laterally separated by an aisle, each of said racks having a plurality of levels, with storage locations on each of said levels; an automated carriage at each of said levels; said automated carriage longitudinally travelling along the associated aisle and adapted to store articles to and retrieve articles from at least two separate rows (30, 32) of articles in at least one of said racks at that level, each of said rows (30, 32) at a different distance from said aisle; and a lift arrangement for delivering articles to and retrieving articles from the levels of said stacked racks, wherein said lift arrangement comprises at least two lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) for at least one of said racks, wherein lift platforms of the at least two lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) are laterally aligned respectively with the at least two rows (30, 32), said at least one of said racks having a rack height and each said lift assembly (22, 24, 26, 28) having a vertical mast that extends the rack height of said at least one of said racks and said lift platform that raises and lowers along the mast characterized in that said lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) for the at least two lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) for at least one of said racks are positioned at different distances from said racks, and in that the one of said lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) that is aligned with the row of articles that is furthest from said aisle is closer to said racks than is the one of said lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) that is aligned with the row of articles that is closest to said aisle. at least two stacked longitudinally extending racks that are laterally separated by an aisle, each of said racks having a plurality of levels, with storage locations on each of said levels; an automated carriage at each of said levels; said automated carriage longitudinally travelling along the associated aisle and adapted to store articles to and retrieve articles from at least two separate rows (30, 32) of articles in at least one of said racks at that level, each of said rows (30, 32) at a different distance from said aisle; and a lift arrangement for delivering articles to and retrieving articles from the levels of said stacked racks, wherein said lift arrangement comprises at least two lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) for at least one of said racks, wherein lift platforms of the at least two lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) are laterally aligned respectively with the at least two rows (30, 32), said at least one of said racks having a rack height and each said lift assembly (22, 24, 26, 28) having a vertical mast that extends the rack height of said at least one of said racks and said lift platform that raises and lowers along the mast characterized in that said lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) for the at least two lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) for at least one of said racks are positioned at different distances from said racks, and in that the one of said lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) that is aligned with the row of articles that is furthest from said aisle is closer to said racks than is the one of said lift assemblies (22, 24, 26, 28) that is aligned with the row of articles that is closest to said aisle.