Who Uses Self Storage?

Ever wondered who uses the storage facilities you see at the side of the road on your way to work? We’re going to answer that question conclusively today using data from the UK Self Storage Association (SSA)’s annual Industry Report, which was published back in May.

It paints a positive picture of the industry, with year-on-year growth for businesses across the country… but what does it tell us about self storage customers? Let’s find out.

Individuals

In January and February, the SSA surveyed personal storage customers to find out what they used (or intended to use) their units for. The results were as follows:

I’m moving and I’m between properties at the moment (26%)
No room for items at residence (30%)
I need to create more space at home (12%)
I recently had an important life event (12%)
I’m moving and I don’t have enough space in the new home (8%)
My home is being redecorated or renovated (8%)
I need to declutter my home to sell it (4%)
I need to store my belongings during university holidays (1%)

From looking more closely at the data, it’s clear that more people are using self storage to store surplus items that simply don’t fit in their current house (around 5% more than in 2021). Also worthy of note is that more students seem to be using storage than ever before. Although they only represented 1% of respondents, this is still a 50% increase on 2020’s survey.

Businesses

In terms of commercial usage, self storage attracts an extremely varied range of businesses. According to the data, these include:

Retail (19%)
Professional services (14%)
Not for profit/charity (8%)
Construction (9%)
Wholesale (7%)
Media and entertainment (5%)
Healthcare (4%)
Manufacturing (3%)
Ecommerce (2%)
Other (14%)

Affordable self storage in Peterborough

You can also run an ecommerce business from home using a self-storage service.
We provide a flexible, affordable and secure storage service in Peterborough. Look no further than 1st Access! Learn more about us today or get a free quote online.