Products (30) are distributed to retail outlets in containers (20). The products (30) are loaded onto the tray assembly (1) that is placed in a container (20) at a production or storage facility and transported to the retail outlet. Information as to a sequence in which the products (30) will be placed on retail shelving (32) at the retail outlet is used to determine a loading order of the products (30) on the tray assembly (1) so that the products (30) may be removed from the carrying device in the order required for placement on the retail shelves (32). The tray assembly (1) is removable from the container, and the trays (6) are moveable relative to each other to facilitate loading and unloading.