Running a small business can be one of the most exciting and challenging things any business owner can do. But how can ‘John the Business Owner’ get his company’s name out there while going up against other companies in their niche?

Consider working with Lok’nStore, a self-storage company as part of your business strategy:

Today’s rising costs and faltering economy have led some businesses to get creative in meeting their office and warehouse needs.  While running a business from a self-storage unit might have seemed odd a few years back, it’s increasingly becoming the new norm. Storage units used to be used primarily for keeping domestic or household storage, but not anymore. Now, there are operating offices, industrial warehouses and museum space tucked among the old cars, kayaks and surfing gear, and overflow junk.”

Let’s face it: the biggest barrier any business owner will face is real estate. Affordable and ample real estate is nearly impossible to find. Unlike building a business would be a huge bite out of your budget . . . and that’s even before your doors have even opened for business!

How can a small business compete with such a barrier as that? With today’s economy, businesses need an edge in order to thrive and grow. Self-storage is definitely a key to your company’s continued growth. Companies like Lok’nStore Self Storage can provide the small business owner that edge!

Imagine: if you are a small business owner, you could run your business out of your home without having to make your place look like a warehouse. You too can operate like a big business . . . without breaking your budget.

Original article here.

The number of families living in overcrowded homes without enough storage space has hit a record high, according to a new report.

A study by Lloyds TSB Insurance showed that half a million family homes failed to meet official standards on storage space, an increase of 68,000 over the past decade.

A baby boom has coincided with design trends which have led to fewer bedrooms in houses, research among 1,800 adults found.

Lloyds TSB Insurance spokesman Paul Spillane said: “The combination of the current baby boom and the trend to convert bedrooms to another use means that our homes are filling up fast.”

If you need more space why not visit your local Lok’nStore Self Storage centre?  They have secure storage facilities at 22 locations across the South east providing cheap, low cost domestic and household storage. 

Call FREE on 0800 587 3322 or visits loknstore.co.uk for more information.

Full article here!

The UK’s self storage industry has continued to grow despite the economic slowdown, according to a report by Mintel for the Self Storage Association.

The report showed that the number of self storage facilities in the UK in 2009 had increased by 4% in the past year to 800 facilities, generating revenues of £345m and employment for 2,800 people.

The rate of growth in 2009 did slow – down from rates of 8-15% over the last five years but the association said there will be more growth in future as the UK catches up with more established markets for self storage such as the USA.

There is now 28m sq ft of storage space in the UK.

Rodney Walker, chief executive officer of the SSA UK, said: “The industry has shown itself to be reasonably resilient over the last year and remains cautiously optimistic for the year ahead. The last few months have seen some consolidation and investment in the market which, along with improved access to finance and a stronger housing market, will provide the industry with an opportunity for further growth.

“The UK market continues to lead the rest of continental Europe in terms of scale and revenues; however as the market continues to grow there is likely to be an increased pressure on margins and the need for operators to further explore additional and innovative revenue streams.”

By Jennifer Rigby

Self Storage For Business: Neil Explains All On Video…

Lok’nStore has made three videos trying to help customers get a better understanding of self storage.  That includes information for those after domestic/household storage and business storage - which includes a lot of government or civic organisations like colleges, hospitals, emergency services and local councils and NGO’s or “organisations” which in turn includes charities and voluntary groups.

This last video has Neil, the Lok’nStore Sales Director talks about why businesses and organisations use Lok’nStore.  He explains that nearly every type of business may need self storage one day and why storing at Lok’nStore is so popular. But I won’t tell you the ending and spoil it…

Lok’nStore have affordable office space to rent, to suit all budgets, sizes and situations, providing you with a flexible working space that you can easily expand or contract along with your business.

Easy rent office space from Lok’nStore is available at various locations providing you and your business with a choice of office solutions to suit ‘any’ budget.  Not only does your Lok’nStore Office Space come fully inclusive of rates and utility bills but you also have a choice of terms, by the day, month or year.  ‘Offering you total flexibility for your business, with office space that can easily expand or contract according to your needs.’

With offices available to let from just £5 a day, we guarantee the most cost effective office rental in the South East.     

• Totally flexible terms, by the day, month or year
• 80 – 800 sqft available
• The flexibility to grow or downsize your office space
• Free wireless internet available
• Free Parking
• No long term commitment
• No long term costs
• No lease or rates

What next?

Talk to our office sales advisor Debbie Friend.  She’ll discuss your requirements and will work with you to find the best possible solution. Please call her on 01252 521010 or 07753 719001.  Or if you don’t have time and just want an idea of costs, drop her a quick email with your office rental requirements and she’ll get back to you with the best solution for you and your business.

The Lok’nStore Self Storage centres with office space are:

Basingstoke  01256 474700
Eastbourne  01323 749222
Luton  01582 721177
Milton Keynes  01908 281900
Northampton Central   01604 629928
Northampton Riverside  01604 785522
Poole  01202 666160
Reading  0118 9588999
Southampton  02380 783388

You can call or email any of the Lok’nStore Self Storage centres that have office space available for rent or let and they will help you find the most cost effective solution. 

Lok’nStore Goes Live With Our First Three Learn-More-About Storage Videos…

We put up our “Welcome to Lok’nStore Self Storage” video last week on the blog and today I’m please to say here’s offering number two.  Thi video is much ore specifically about just how much storage space you might need and gives you a rough guide to the sizes of the steel storage units from 25 square foot upwards.

If you want a static view of the units and a guide to what they will hold check the page on our main site for storage space estimator.  This page is being upgraded very soon to show two or three different ways of making a space estimation.

Meanhile enjoy the video with our very own Anita from Lok’nStore in Farnborough…

The most accident-prone street in Britain has been given the ultimate safety blanket - 1,500 sq metres of bubble wrap.  Cars, gates, bins, lamp posts and even garden gnomes were wrapped in the cushioning film to highlight the dangers of driving in winter.  According to a car insurance comparison website, homes in Somerville Road, Worcester, generate the highest number of accident claims in the whole of the UK.

The street, which has been dubbed ‘Accident Avenue’, has had around ten claims a year for ten years, which for a small street, made residents the most accident-prone drivers in the country. The stunt was set up by Confused.com and took eight men more than 12 hours to complete. One Somerville Road resident, who did not wish to be named, said it was a shock to see all the houses wrapped up.

He said: ‘I live just up from the houses that were wrapped up so the sight of them all covered up took me a bit by surprise.  ‘They have wrapped absolutely everything in plastic - it looks very striking, ‘I think it is a really amusing idea, although I don’t know how long it will be until someone starts

 Will Thomas said it was important to warn drivers about the dangerous conditions brought on by the recent cold snap. ‘The recent freezing temperatures have turned roads across the country into treacherous territory and with the unsettled weather expected to continue, motor insurance is expected to soar,’ he said.

‘In times of need we bubble wrap all our little breakables to keep them safe and sound - so why not a whole street?’

 It is also bubble wrap’s 50th birthday this week, which will be celebrated with the tenth annual ‘Bubblewrap Appreciation Day’.

Full Article @ Mail Online

Are you moving house?  Do you need Self Storage?  LoknBlog spotted this useful article…

There is so much to think of en route that sometimes you forget about the simple necessities once you move into your property.

Property Ladder presenter Sarah Beeny cites the number of people she has come across who forget light bulbs and find themselves on their first night in their new home scrabbling around in the dark.

Leave plenty of time to set up utilities in your new home. The moment you exchange is a good time to start as it can take longer than you think. If you rely on having a broadband connection from day one, then that too will take some pre-planning. Otherwise, you will find yourself becoming familiar with local internet cafes over the first few weeks.

If you are planning to buy new furniture, delivery times can be another surprise. Allow about three months from ordering a sofa in the shop to being able to sit on it in your living room.

If you want your remaining possessions to accompany you on your first night in the property too, arrange for a removal van well in advance. The cheaper options are to hire a van and do the removal yourself, or hire a man with a van. But check on the insurance situation and prepare for some backbreaking work.

Otherwise, employ a specialist company, who will get the job done at higher cost but far more quickly and efficiently. Get several quotes in writing – they will vary enormously – and make sure the company belongs to a recognised trade association such as the British Association of Removers.

You will soon release you have far too many possessions, so rather than drag items that haven’t seen the light of day for years to another property where they won’t be used either, have a good clear-out.

Also to be done about a month before you move, book electricity, gas and water readings at your present home. Redirect your post (www.royalmail.com) for the first few months. Contact any tradesman you will need on moving day, to disconnect your gas cooker for example. And let everyone know your new address. Not just the fun people – friends and family – but your bank, car insurer, council tax department, mobile phone company, doctor, TV licensing department… There is a useful checklist to tick off on

Natwest.com/content/personal/mortgages/downloads/Mortgage_FTB_EasyStepsPeopletoTellChecklist.pdf.

A week before you move, if you are currently renting a property, confirm when the landlord will collect the keys, check your removal firm/van hire company is all prepared for moving day, contact your local council to suspend parking restrictions during your move, pay your local newspaper and milk bills and start giving the property you are leaving a thorough clean. Also, put together a box of essentials, including light bulbs, breakfast and nightwear, to ease the transition on the first night.

On moving day, check you have cleared everything out of your previous property, locked and switched off everything necessary and keep a copy of the last meter readings. At your new home, check that everything the previous owners agreed to leave has been left. Tell your solicitor if not.

Then resist the temptation to start unpacking and put your feet up. After all, you deserve it.

Full article by:

Zoe Dare Hall

The crunchy plastic wrapping everyone likes to pop is turning 50.

Bubble Wrap, the protective packaging made by Sealed Air, an Elmwood Park company in the Fortune 500, was invented in Hawthorne in 1960.

Created by Marc Chavannes and Al Fielding, it was first called Air Cap and designed to be a new type of wallpaper. That idea didn’t work, however, so they started to sell it as a greenhouse insulator.

Legend has it Chavannes came up with the idea for its current use during an airplane ride over what was then Newark Airport.

Chavannes looked out the window as the plane descended and noticed the billowy clouds that seemed to be cushioning the plane.

That was when he realized the textured plastic material could be used as a replacement for old newspapers to protect fragile items.

But the product didn’t really take off until the mid-1960s, when IBM used it as a cushion for shipments of its 1401 model computers.

Since then, the material has become a pop culture icon that “not only serves to cushion fragile materials, but also provides the added benefit of helping to de-stress and bring smiles to the faces of people of all ages worldwide,” said William Hickey, chief executive of Sealed Air.

The cushioning material has been used to create works of art and clothing, as well as props for TV commercials and movies, such as “Wall-E,” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” “Liar, Liar” and “Naked Gun.”

The Saddle River factory that makes Bubble Wrap will change the material’s clear colour to gold to commemorate its birthday next Monday. A limited run of gold-coloured Bubble Wrap will be made.

Here are some significant events in the material’s history:

• Invention of the material leads to the founding of Sealed Air in 1960.
• Sealed Air reports sales of $4 million in 1969 as Bubble Wrap started to catch on.
• In 1998, comedians Joey Green and Tim Nyberg write about the cushioning material in  “The Bubble Wrap Book.”

By Joseph R. Perone/The Star-Ledger

For self storage in the Tonbridge area give Lok’nStore Business & Household Storage a call. 

Serving Tunbridge Wells, Hadlow, Hildenborough, Sevenoaks, Southborough, Chiddingstone, East & West Peckham ,Paddock Wood, East & West Malling, Ightham, Wadhurst, Wrotham, Leigh, Edenbridge, Penshurst and High Brooms and Pembury.  Lok’nStore Tonbridge has all the space you’ll ever need plus the lowest costs in the storage industry.  Give them a call on 01732 771007 or drop into the centre at 205 Vale Road.  For more details and the location of our Tonbridge centre visit loknstore.co.uk  

Self Storage At Lok’nStore Explained

Have a look at our new video which helps to explain about Lok’nStore and about self storage.

More videos about self storage for businss users and domestic household users to follow… Meanwhile, enjoy.

Looking for flexible office space? 

We have a range of office sizes available at many locations across the country including Basingstoke, Eastbourne, Luton, Northampton, Poole, Reading and Southampton.  Give Lok’nStore a call on 0800 587 3322 or visit our loknstore.co.uk for more details.