Managing a self storage facility: What extra items can I sell?

For a storage company there are several suppliers who specialise in providing items that will be useful to customers. Such extras are usually sold from your reception area or showroom and they can generate a useful profit margin.

As it may be hard for the public find retailers of such materials, it can be a way of earning sales from people who don’t store, and occasionally it will be a way of drawing in a potential storage customer.

Removals and packaging are happy bedfellows

One of the most well established such suppliers is BAR Services, founded 30 years ago and owned by the British Association of Removers. Like the Self Storage Association (SSAUK), BAR is a trade body and about 600 of the UK’s removal companies are in it; and like the SSAUK, this includes almost all the major players.

A few years ago BAR Services, which mostly supplies removal companies, recognised the self storage demand and developed a specialist range of products for storage centres.

The main items that seem to sell well are those that help with the immediate needs of storage customer, such as protection, packaging, carrying and security. Within the wrapping category, the most popular item is air bubble film (most people call this “bubble wrap” but in fact that’s a trademark and much of what is supplied is the generic equivalent), protective covers for mattresses (often called mattress sacks), packaging tape and marker pens.

Cartons in all sizes, usually in bundles

For transporting, stacking and moving items, the big seller is cardboard cartons. Not surprisingly, these come in various sizes but, for the new storage supplier, the most attractive idea is shrink wrapped packs of 5 boxes, or starter packs with several sizes shrink wrapped together. People using self storage tend to buy more as a result, and these are easy to move around.

Once a storage operator has started selling cartons, they can also think about getting them produced with the company’s logo overprinted and with a phone number and website address.

Padlocks with keys or combinations

For security, most storage managers sell padlocks. These come in different sizes, but you obviously need to sell ones which fit the bolts on your storage rooms. Combination locks are popular as there is no key to lose and the code can be transmitted to a friend or relative or removal company by phone or email.

Some of the more unusual products that BAR services offer are managers’ padlocks in different bright colours; door handles to replace broken handles on roll up doors; and bolt croppers for getting into the units of non-paying storage users.

Margins on packaging materials can be good, and the storage manager is performing a useful function – holding the stock, having it in the right place and retailing it (buying in bulk and selling singly).