Businesses Increasingly Turning to Self-Storage
Against a tough trading background, businesses are waking up to the importance of self-storage facilities, and finding them cheaper than anticipated.
Over the COVID period, many businesses have closed their bricks and mortar businesses. By late March this year, a report (Business insights and impact on the UK economy) showed that almost half of currently trading businesses were experiencing a decrease in turnover. The percentage of businesses in the accommodation and food service activities industry with three months' cash reserves or less fell below 50% and uncertainty abounds.
Arts, entertainment, recreation, accommodation and food services industries all suffered.
Between COVID and Brexit, the manufacturing industry experienced increased prices for materials, goods and services.
Whilst self-storage has been seen traditionally as for personal storage, businesses are waking up to the importance of self-storage facilities. Businesses now account for close to 30% of all self-storage tenants. Indeed, in some areas, businesses account for up to 60% of self-storage units.
Self-storage can prove a cost-effective solution to space problems, especially for start-ups as there is often no need for lengthy leases. For e/commerce, construction and marketing companies or departments, self-storage is a well-established boon.
At easyStorage we’d be the first to say that not every business is going to find our way of operating perfect. We come and collect goods and deliver them back as needed, but may need two days notice. For an e-commerce kitchen table start-ups, for example, that need to pick and send perishable goods immediately, traditional self-storage, with its constant access, is perfect to meet their needs. Plus, we don’t offer constant access, which is one of the reasons our prices are so good.
But for someone with a large stock of non-perishables, not having them lying around and returned once a week for despatch can work brilliantly - to say nothing of the financial saving in buying in bigger quantities.
For marketers, for example, whose expensive exhibition stands are being mothballed or put away for later use, seasonal goods etc, again, self-storage like ours is really cost effective. Leaflets that take space in boxes lying around the office, running the risk of damage or becoming dogeared, can be kept clean and tidy.
For those who’ve closed businesses waiting for better times, holding on to business assets in storage until times get better can be a smart move. Right now is a great time for buyers to get bargains, but a heartbreak for business owners having to sell what they’ve invested in.
Mobile storage, the official name for our kind of self-storage at easyStorage, comes in at around at half the price of traditional self storage. All in all, business or consumer, we like to do ‘what it says on the can’ for our customers and make life easy!
