Traditional long-term leases for business storage are becoming less popular as companies move to short-term ones instead.

According to Dorset-headquartered Store & Secure, the increasing pressures on businesses are prompting them to take a more flexible approach. Traditionally, a company requiring storage might take out a long-term lease on a unit even if it wasn’t required all the time.

Now they are shopping around and finding that renting a unit on a monthly or even weekly basis is more cost-effective. Lucy Maidman and sister Sophie – aka the Storage Sisters – have run numerous storage businesses. The pair now run a huge facility in Hamworthy, Poole, and have noticed the trend grow.

Lucy said:

“With a cost-of-living crisis and pressure on businesses we are seeing facilities like ours becoming more popular for companies. We have seen more retail businesses going online and using our facility to store stock."

“And now we are receiving more enquires from businesses in all sectors who are shopping around for storage and looking for flexibility. They see long leases as a risk and an expense that can be reduced. They are preferring short-term leases for storage, which can be just a week long, for example."

“We offer rolling leases so companies can end them as they please and make as many savings as possible – sometimes tens of thousands of pounds a year. Storage facilities like ours are often viewed as places where people put things while they move house, but they are much more than that."

“We have serviced offices, outside containers and storage rooms of varying sizes with all the security required – both physical and digital. The flexibility we offer and speed with which clients can hire a unit and put their stock inside is a major attraction."

“From talking to others in the storage sector I think this trend is widespread. It also allows some businesses to find small, cheaper premises knowing when they need storage it is always available.”

Above Photo: Lucy and Sophie Maidman, the ‘Storage Sisters’, either side of colleague Kavan Wood