A storage and picking system comprising a storage portion and a dispatch portion, the storage portion comprising: a first set of substantially parallel rails or tracks and a second set of substantially parallel rails or tracks extending substantially perpendicularly to the first set in a substantially horizontal plane to form a grid-like pattern of tracks comprising a plurality of grid spaces; a set of uprights, the uprights supporting the tracks, the uprights and tracks^together defining a framework; a plurality of containers located in stacks, beneath the tracks and within the framework, stack of containers occupying the space below a grid space; and a plurality of load handling devices operable on the grid, the load handling devices comprising means for lifting containers from the stacks beneath the tracks and means for depositing containers on to the tops of stacks beneath the tracks; the dispatch portion comprising a sequencing system, wherein the sequencing system comprises: a conveyance means, wherein a section of tracks is disposed above the conveyance means, the conveyance means 42- arranged to hold in a substantially stationary manner load handling device delivered containers in a series of positions, said positions on said conveyance means being defined so as to correspond to the grid spaces above the conveyance means on the section of tracks, said positions on the conveyance means being allocatable and accessible for containers to be deposited thereon, wherein the load handling devices deposit retrieved containers in allocated positions on the conveyance means under the control of a centralised control utility, characterised in that the control utility defining the order in which the containers are deposited in the allocated positions, said allocation being independent of the order in which the containers are delivered by the load handling devices, the conveyance means being further arranged to convey the deposited containers, located in the sequenced positions, once the sequenced positions are filled, the load handling device delivered containers being deposited on the conveyance means in a predetermined order for dispatch, said predetermined order being independent of the order in which the load handling devices retrieve the containers from the stacks in the storage portion of the storage and picking system. a first set of substantially parallel rails or tracks and a second set of substantially parallel rails or tracks extending substantially perpendicularly to the first set in a substantially horizontal plane to form a grid-like pattern of tracks comprising a plurality of grid spaces; a set of uprights, the uprights supporting the tracks, the uprights and tracks^together defining a framework; a plurality of containers located in stacks, beneath the tracks and within the framework, stack of containers occupying the space below a grid space; and a plurality of load handling devices operable on the grid, the load handling devices comprising means for lifting containers from the stacks beneath the tracks and means for depositing containers on to the tops of stacks beneath the tracks; the dispatch portion comprising a sequencing system, wherein the sequencing system comprises: a conveyance means, wherein a section of tracks is disposed above the conveyance means, the conveyance means 42- arranged to hold in a substantially stationary manner load handling device delivered containers in a series of positions, said positions on said conveyance means being defined so as to correspond to the grid spaces above the conveyance means on the section of tracks, said positions on the conveyance means being allocatable and accessible for containers to be deposited thereon, wherein the load handling devices deposit retrieved containers in allocated positions on the conveyance means under the control of a centralised control utility, characterised in that the control utility defining the order in which the containers are deposited in the allocated positions, said allocation being independent of the order in which the containers are delivered by the load handling devices, the conveyance means being further arranged to convey the deposited containers, located in the sequenced positions, once the sequenced positions are filled, the load handling device delivered containers being deposited on the conveyance means in a predetermined order for dispatch, said predetermined order being independent of the order in which the load handling devices retrieve the containers from the stacks in the storage portion of the storage and picking system.