Starting a Container Storage Business

[MAMC]

Hello All,

Has anybody got any experience or thoughts on a Container Storage business?

I've done a lot of research into it and it seems to be a good money spinner. Site upwards of 50 20ft Containers with a few smaller ones, provide good security and access, get the location correct and you are away.

I've spoken to a couple of people in the industry and it seems that once you get going it's very easy to maintain.

Thoughts?

[IATM]

It is actually a good business but you are going to have one problem and that is competition.
You can bet your shoe laces within 6 months as soon as people have got wind that you are doing it and doing it well others will do it too.

You won't just have to compete with someone having a set up like yours but also the smaller set ups: set ups such as people with warehouses and space in their yard for say 10 containers, they start doing the same etc.

In my area the going rate is £100 a month for a 20ft. Since so many have started its went to around 70/80 a month.

It is still a good business I guess even at those rates but just be mindful of the competition you will face very very quickly.

[ReaderScars]

Could you possibly offer wifi and electricity as well as storage so start up business can use their container as a very basic office as well as storage? After all there are more business starting up now than any other time - and they're not being started on tens/hunderds of thousands, they're being started via the likes of the Start Up Loans facility (average loan being about £6k apparently), so if start ups are offered the lowest cost solution it should be really attractive.

How about:

Front Office container to handle post?
24hr access
Toilets - even just portaloos?
Electricity - small heater, LED lights, laptop & printer power only? (ie no high power electrical equipment)
Wifi - would be a big plus - ecommerce based businesses and the like

Maybe some rockwool type insulation behind a basic interior skin/panels, make it at least a reasonable environment to spend time in/work in.

[All that jazz]

ReaderScars said:

Could you possibly offer wifi and electricity as well as storage so start up business can use their container as a very basic office as well as storage? After all there are more business starting up now than any other time - and they're not being started on tens/hunderds of thousands, they're being started via the likes of the Start Up Loans facility (average loan being about £6k apparently), so if start ups are offered the lowest cost solution it should be really attractive.

How about:

Front Office container to handle post?
24hr access
Toilets - even just portaloos?
Electricity - small heater, LED lights, laptop & printer power only? (ie no high power electrical equipment)
Wifi - would be a big plus - ecommerce based businesses and the like

Maybe some rockwool type insulation behind a basic interior skin/panels, make it at least a reasonable environment to spend time in/work in.

Standard ISO shipping container internally is 7'8 wide so you won't be able to do st inside if you start adding insulation and panelling. Adding electric and other stuff means drilling holes in them = from owner point of view if he ever wants to move them on in the future.

They're expensive to buy in good dry odour-free condition and they obviously take up quite a bit of space.

Edited by All that jazz on Saturday 14th February 05:28

[FiF]

We needed to store some stuff for a short while, which ended up being over a year.

Comparison between a container place and a dry warehouse, with proper security, fire system, kit to help you move stuff around, then no comparison and the price difference wasn't worth it imo.

The other thing the warehouse could do was offer much wider choice of space sizes, from what were effectively secure lockers upwards to decent premises from which people were running the non office side of a business.

If it's intended for places for MoP to store their stuff, suspect competition will be your problem.

Lot of capacity opened up, govt puts vat on rental charges, market shrank somewhat. The vat going on made us think about it and got rid.

[MAMC]

Appreciate the comments guys. Competition is all part and parcel of it really, key will be grabbing the customer at the start. Once you have them they are unlikely to move to another company just to save a few pennies. Give them an incentive to start and that should keep them in place.

Like the idea of the office space and additional services. My thoughts are to get up and running first and then add services on as and when we can.

Also like the idea of 'Buy to Let' containers, not for now but possibly for the future. Sell the containers to people, rent them out on their behalf and charge a service charge (similar to holiday parks).

[ReaderScars]

All that jazz said:

Standard ISO shipping container internally is 7'8 wide so you won't be able to do st inside if you start adding insulation and panelling. Adding electric and other stuff means drilling holes in them = from owner point of view if he ever wants to move them on in the future.

They're expensive to buy in good dry odour-free condition and they obviously take up quite a bit of space.

Sorry I don't accept that. Insulation is definitely possible and drilled holes aren't the problem you make them out to be. What I've described is easily achieveable - especially with the approval/support of someone with a bit of vision.

[All that jazz]

ReaderScars said:

All that jazz said:

Standard ISO shipping container internally is 7'8 wide so you won't be able to do st inside if you start adding insulation and panelling. Adding electric and other stuff means drilling holes in them = from owner point of view if he ever wants to move them on in the future.

They're expensive to buy in good dry odour-free condition and they obviously take up quite a bit of space.

Sorry I don't accept that. Insulation is definitely possible and drilled holes aren't the problem you make them out to be. What I've described is easily achieveable - especially with the approval/support of someone with a bit of vision.

Well if it's all so easy get on with it then!

[karona]

WiFi? Inside what is effectively the perfect Faraday Cage?

[shirt]

All that jazz said:

ReaderScars said:

Could you possibly offer wifi and electricity as well as storage so start up business can use their container as a very basic office as well as storage? After all there are more business starting up now than any other time - and they're not being started on tens/hunderds of thousands, they're being started via the likes of the Start Up Loans facility (average loan being about £6k apparently), so if start ups are offered the lowest cost solution it should be really attractive.

How about:

Front Office container to handle post?
24hr access
Toilets - even just portaloos?
Electricity - small heater, LED lights, laptop & printer power only? (ie no high power electrical equipment)
Wifi - would be a big plus - ecommerce based businesses and the like

Maybe some rockwool type insulation behind a basic interior skin/panels, make it at least a reasonable environment to spend time in/work in.

Standard ISO shipping container internally is 7'8 wide so you won't be able to do st inside if you start adding insulation and panelling. Adding electric and other stuff means drilling holes in them = from owner point of view if he ever wants to move them on in the future.

They're expensive to buy in good dry odour-free condition and they obviously take up quite a bit of space.

Edited by All that jazz on Saturday 14th February 05:28

I'm writing this post from a 20' container made into a 2-man office. It has a/c, wifi, 240V power, 2 desks, 2 filing cabinets and a fridge. Landed next to it is a containerised kitchen/diner, an ablutions block, etc.

Might not make sense in the UK but for other markets where rental office space comes at a premium this could be a goer. Could be stacked and interlocked, perhaps with storage units on the bottom row with offices upstairs. Ideal for small startups who just need a phone, address and modest warehousing. Monthly rental options would also be attractive to this market as I imagine most office leases are 6mths+

The import docs for the office container shows the new purchase price to be $9,300 including the fittings and fixtures, so I might have to see how much they can be had for when disposed of from the fleet.

[maxest]

Thought I'd put this back to the top, as its a topic I'm very interested in.

I've got access to a very good rural site, which wouldn't take much to secure. It's on a very busy road. There's a couple of storage facilities near to me both to capacity and a new one recently opened. That's a proper building and they are charging approx £180 + insurance a month for 150sq ft

Does anyone on here do shipping container storage? Any pitfalls/advise to share. I'm thinking with starting with half a dozen 20ft containers, with treated roofs to help with condensation.

Insurance issues?
Planning? Is it required? I am making tentative enquiries

Any help much appreciated

[anonymous-user]

How much responsibility does the site owner / manager have if stolen, illegal or contraband goods are on site?

[Patch1875]

I rent one. Think there are around 40-50 on site but there is also a couple of businesses in brick buildings also which works well as one is a car repair place which seems to almost be 24hr so helps with the security.

I pay £100 a month but there is no insurance with that most seem to be tradesmen storing stuff.

Been there 3 years with zero issues great set up with everyone helping and looking out for each other.

[maxest]

Patch1875 said:

I rent one. Think there are around 40-50 on site but there is also a couple of businesses in brick buildings also which works well as one is a car repair place which seems to almost be 24hr so helps with the security.

I pay £100 a month but there is no insurance with that most seem to be tradesmen storing stuff.

Been there 3 years with zero issues great set up with everyone helping and looking out for each other.

That sounds the sort of level I’d be aiming for. Do you have a link to the website if the facility you use please? PM if you prefer.

[maxest]

JPJPJP said:

How much responsibility does the site owner / manager have if stolen, illegal or contraband goods are on site?

Good question, and one im not sure of. The site will have good CCTV so access / what’s going in the will be monitored properly

[Mr Pointy]

maxest said:

JPJPJP said:

How much responsibility does the site owner / manager have if stolen, illegal or contraband goods are on site?

Good question, and one im not sure of. The site will have good CCTV so access / what’s going in the will be monitored properly

No chance. You wouldn't have a clue what gets stored in there, although you might pick up someone carrying a body in.

[Mortgage_tom]

These guys seam to be doing well:

https://lockstock.biz/

[48k]

The farm where my office is offers container-based storage. Biggest issue I see is security as they are reasonably easy to break in to.

[Keep it stiff]

maxest said:

Thought I'd put this back to the top, as its a topic I'm very interested in.

I've got access to a very good rural site, which wouldn't take much to secure. It's on a very busy road. There's a couple of storage facilities near to me both to capacity and a new one recently opened. That's a proper building and they are charging approx £180 + insurance a month for 150sq ft

Does anyone on here do shipping container storage? Any pitfalls/advise to share. I'm thinking with starting with half a dozen 20ft containers, with treated roofs to help with condensation.

Insurance issues?
Planning? Is it required? I am making tentative enquiries

Any help much appreciated

I have been involved with a few sites providing container self-storage.

Yes planning is required and is not always easy, authorities are rarely keen to see plots of agricultural land or fallow brown-field sites turned into mini trading estates.

Used 20ft containers are cheap enough but they are not ideal as storage units without some adaptation. The four lever door systems are a pain in the butt, these can be converted. Splitting containers into small units with side doors gives more selling flexibility. You need good lighting. Ideally you need hard standing between rows. You can double stack and add stairs/walkways, this gives an option to sell upper space at a discount to lower space. The key to running a profitable site is to make it staff-less, this in turn requires good systems and processes such as access control to the site. (Access control can also be geared to provide credit control.) CCTV is essential, slick process for signing up & billing etc and regular physical checks. Remember the front end too, filling a yard with containers and setting up good operating standards does not mean you will get a queue at the door. Be prepared for issues such as abandoned contents in units and the yard. A number of these sites are run very well, I suggest you visit a few existing operators posing as a prospective customer and you will quickly see the difference between attractive/well run and the opposite end of the scale.

[POORCARDEALER]

Friend has the same business, you need eyes like a hawk....filled with old tyres and left, same with builders rubble etc etc....cheaper than a skip or two