The US has an enormous self storage industry with about 45,000 facilities compared to the UK’s 1200. This is because self storage has been established in America for a lot longer with their national Self Storage Association having been formed in 1975.
Having been the starting point for its entry into the UK, London has a longer experience with self storage than anywhere else and so has built up the country’s most mature and valuable market.
When it comes to helping charities, self storage companies have an admirable record. Their websites often speak of sponsored walks and all sorts of other fund-raising events performed by staff, usually in aid of local charities. But perhaps their most valued contribution is donating what they have an unusual abundance of ‒ storage space.
Self storage has progressed through the Anglosphere, only putting down deep roots in the economies of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and, more recently, the UK. This is what makes the recent appearance of major self storage centres in and around the rest of Europe’s capital cities very interesting.
In an indication of the increasing economic significance of the self storage industry, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) now includes a measure of self storage prices in both its Retail Price Index (RPI) and Consumer Prices Index (CPI).
Everyone who manages a self storage centre will be aware of the 24/7 nature of the job. Even when your centre is closed, you are still storing people’s things and you can’t help being conscious of that responsibility. You may get reminded of this by the police contacting you at antisocial hours for an emergency, […]
Consumers these days are becoming increasingly aware of the environmental impacts their buying choices have. This means that a ‘green’ image has suddenly become very valuable ‒ hence the energy with which many companies are now busily pursuing one.
At first glance, British self storage seems an impressive beast, at least if its vital statistics are anything to go by: 750 facilities nationwide that serve 235,000 customers, generating revenues to the tune of £360 million a year. Yet this is nothing compared to the scale of business done across the Atlantic, where industry revenues generate more money than Hollywood and 1 in every 11 households is a customer.
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