The Self-Storage Boom: A Sign of the Times
There's been an incredibly rapid increase in the number of storage centres in the UK in recent years... the number has grown from 1,505 in 2018 to over 2,700 today, that's almost a doubling in just seven years.
Another change is the location: in the bad-old-good-old days these storage centres used to be located o industrial estates on the edge of towns and cities, now they're springing up in more central central locations, and actually getting a bit bougie... rather than the old metal-clanging monotone vibe of yesteryear.
So why the increase in storage units...?
Housing, or lack of it, is the most obvious causal factor. Simply put people, especially younger people, are living in smaller houses and flats and they don't have enough room in them to store all their stuff. And many people have to move frequently, so maybe storage is just convenient!
Possibly there is also a yearning for security going on here.... while it is economically irrational to pay for storage for stuff you can't use on a daily basis, these possessions represent either, or both fond memories or aspirations, Yes, some people store furniture they intend to use when they (hopefully) find a bigger house!
This is a kind of anti-minimalist movement... a way of holding onto your past or future without cluttering up the present, and it's especially a thing among youngsters who have grown up in the recent two decades of economic uncertainty... storing stuff is maybe not giving in to tough times...?
And the side hustle...
And then there's the growth of mini-warehouses... for those who sell their own products online, they need somewhere to store them, and cluttering up the house is a bit naff... And for them the storage unit may be seen as a workplace, somewhere outside of the house to work and think, some of them aren't much more than a co-work space after all...
Final thoughts....
I'm surprised at the rapid growth of these units, not so much at the growth, but the rapidity, it's an interesting sign of our times.
Also makes me glad I sold most of my stuff when I moved abroad, defo economically irrational for me to rent one of these!
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It is the same here. Even in small towns, there is at least one self storage facility. It's an ongoing joke that whenever a new construction pops up, people say 'oh look, another storage facility'. Whoever is building these things, is raking in the money though. It is indeed, as sign of the times.
It seemed like such an American thing back in the day.
Watching storage wars and those shows wondering how people can buy so much crap.
I've started to see them here in Ireland a bit too now so it's everywhere. I can see some the use for business but i like to live minimal and sell or donate what i don't need.
Unless I had a month or two moving gap between houses, which can happen, I just couldn't bring myself to pay another £100 a month or so just to store shit I don't need! If I had to I'd make a bed or something out of storage boxes first!
I think that the more engage in entrepreneurial activities from home have caused the more dedicated space to store items.
It's defo a contributory factor, for sure!
I read that the average storage unit renter will spend seven times the value of their items in rent over the time they use it. It's absolute madness.
We had a guest in our AirBnb who came to town to handle the stuff her father put in storage before he died...20 years ago. I wonder how much of it she kept?
Those figures are crazy, if that's the average, but I'm not surprised, it just goes to show it's about emotional attachment, nothing rational here, but I think we new that already!
30 years ago there were very few storage facilities around and we rented a 40ft container at one facility as that is what they originally were. No bricks and mortar back then. We had come from a bigger house in SA and moved into a 4 bedroom UK sized house which is or feels like a 2 bedroom if you are being realistic. The 4th bedroom was more like a box room and maybe big enough for an office, but definitely no bed. I can understand needing storage for an online business, but storing household goods is just not worth it.
It makes sense short term I get that if you're moving, but if it's looking long term, like a year or more, just sell that shit!
That is an interesting topic for discussion, and not as simple as it looks. I agree with your examples, but there's more... I mean, we have different reasons why we might need a storage room... What you said about smaller apartments makes sense, as youngsters can't buy a decent place... And you can't fit everything in 30-40 square meters... where you live with someone, or with children... and that happens more and more... You need that additional space...
Personally, I was thinking about the storage room despite having a "bigger" apartment... For example, my wife is playing piano, we live on the 3rd floor without an elevator... She has a "mobile" piano (not that small and mobile 🙂) for her gigs, but I have to take a bloody thing up and down the stairs for at least 1 time per week... that storage room would come handy... 😂 Or a garage... As storage rooms are cheaper than a garage, there was a market space for it to grow in popularity...
Btw. that's a nice idea for starting a business... I didn't see many self-storage rooms at the place where I live, but I saw abandoned factories that could be turned into them....
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Be that man, set up a new venture, then you get free storage for yourself too, I guess!
Here the local junkyard dealer also come in handy, pay some little cash for your junk and take the item from home.
I am also not fan of storing more than you require (unless it is precious metal like Gold)
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