How businesses are making the most of self storage

How UK businesses can flourish in a small storage unit

Look around any trade park in the UK, and you're bound to spot a business with stock overflowing out of its shutter doors.

Industrial units are two a penny, with many built after the millennium, now being knocked down and replaced. However, the recent trend of knocking down disused 1960s-era factories and run-down post-WW2 business properties to build space-age, new trade parks has left many businesses needing more space. These new gleaming aluminium cubes with electric roller shutter doors have become a staple of medium-sized companies in the UK over the last ten years, providing safe, secure, modern business units that are also welcoming to customers. Some of these units in trade parks also provide businesses with a retail counter, meaning they no longer need a shop on the high street. However, the downside of this trend is that many struggle for space due to a reduction in property sizes since the 1990s. Where a developer would once have built ten industrial units on a site, he now looks at fifteen or even more. This maximisation of the property footprint has left many medium-sized businesses in a squeeze for space.

Which businesses use these units?

Who rents these units? A look at the local trade estate near me reveals a real mix of business types:

Car spare parts
Homebrew supplier – beer and wine
Exhaust and tyre fitters
Screws and nails for fixing things (you know who I mean)
Electrical supplies
Painting & Decorating Supplies

At least two of these businesses had stock outside the loading bay doors as they struggled for storage space. They could have seasonal stock in the unit, which causes a squeeze two or three times a year. Alternatively, perhaps business is right for them at the moment, and although they haven't expanded to the extent that they need bigger premises, they are struggling for space.

The self storage boom

This is where the self-storage industry comes into the picture. Over the last twenty years, the UK – especially in the South East – has seen an explosion of self-storage. On the edge of nearly every town and city is a brightly coloured self storage facility. It's one of the fastest-growing industries in the UK, and small to medium-sized businesses have quickly used them to their advantage. Storage companies offer businesses storage space with a minimum of hassle and commitment. Small and medium companies are finding that these storage facilities can give them storage space without having to sign a long lease that ties them into a deal for up to a year or more! Some of the prominent attractions to a small or medium-sized business are:

Short-term commitment – a minimum period of 7 days
Free forklifting and receipt of goods and pallets
Only pay for the space you need – 25 to 1,000 square feet available
No utility bill, rates or security costs

Imagine a service enabling a business to expand its stock as required for perhaps even just a week! Seasonal stock issues could become a problem of the past for companies as they use the services of their local storage company to their advantage. Costs can be kept to a minimum by only using self-storage space when needed rather than renting a warehouse on a long-term lease.

The self-storage boom looks set to continue, at least for the moment, which can only help businesses struggling for space.