Newport-headquartered Storage Giant, which we featured two years ago, is about to complete another acquisition of a mixed-use site near Manchester, in line with its expansion strategy.
Established in 2007, the company has grown organically, with 15 stores trading currently and nine more in the pipeline across England and Wales. “We provide self-storage units and flexi offices across each of our sites and pride ourselves on our high-quality facilities, our excellent colleagues and our service working to consistently exceed our customer’s needs,” says the company founder and Managing Director Simon Williams.
The company started to operate in the self-storage sector with one facility in Newport, followed by a second unit in Cardiff a year later. Today, Storage Giant is the largest privately-owned storage company in the UK. “Storage Giant is a rarity in the self-storage business where the barriers to entry are so high. I believe we are the only company of our size in this sector that is still 100% individually owned,” says Williams.
Safe and affordable
The company offers self-storage services for domestic and business customers, as well as office space, and is committed to the further development of large supermarket-style self-storage facilities with flexi office suites. The company often develops its state-of-the-art storage centres as part of a larger retail scheme, which it has been doing for some years. This affords a level of diversification.
Storage Giant facilities are modern, bright and airy, with wide access staircases, loading bays, high-capacity lifts, and plenty of on-site parking. The facilities are price-matched weekly to ensure that Storage Giant is the lowest cost self-storage provider in every area it operates and has facilities with best-in-class security and a team on hand to provide any advice the client may need. Storage Giant prides itself on maintaining extremally high customer service ratings with thousands of 5-star reviews.
To make the customer’s life easier, the company has enabled app access to every store location. “Every customer can download the app and use this to open the main gate and roller door after hours, gaining access into the building without ever having to key in a code to a keypad. This can be used both during normal hours to open internal glass sliding doors and after hours if they have 24/7 access,” says Williams.
“We have very high level security systems in place, our sites are designed around our female customers, so they are very user-friendly, all are on access control and monitored by CCTV.”
Williams adds, “In our near 20 years of operation, we have never experienced a single break in at any of our facilities. This is no doubt due to the very high level of security at all our stores.”
“Since 2012, we have been fitting photovoltaic systems to all our locations and since 2014 all are provided with LED lighting, in order to make those stores run as efficiently as possible.”
Cost advantage
What is behind the company’s steady growth, even at challenging times when a lot of businesses have shut down? Williams points out that ultimately, it all comes down to cost management. “We have the lowest possible cost base, which allows us to undercut our competitors and compete effectively with much larger players in the sector.”
“We also follow country and world trends very closely allowing us to react to market fluctuations very quickly. Occupancy is key due to fixed costs so that has always been an important focus for us. At over 90%, our group occupancy rate has always been well ahead of the sector average which is typically around 75%.
“If you’re extremely competitive on costs, then you can be extremely competitive on pricing. We have always prided ourselves on having the most competitive pricing in the market for a very high quality and secure professional facility.”
“There is an array of things you need to get right with every new development. It is not as simple as many may think, but then that probably explains why we consistently out-perform the sector. We spend millions on our facilities, with security systems being just one part, there is a whole package, and I would now say we are developing sixth-generation facilities.”
Latest addition
Speaking about the latest market developments, he points out that the company will further enhance the digital capability that has been much appreciated by customers and has allowed sites to stay open even during the pandemic.
“We are now looking at various technologies to enhance the customer experience and security of our sites. Employing the latest technology also helps to alleviate the shortage of skilled staff, a pressing issue. Getting the right people, reliable and willing to work hard, has always been difficult but this issue has become even more accentuated since Covid. I’m sure the employment market continues to be a challenge for every firm.”
However, this does not seem to hinder Storage Giant’s continued expansion. In December 2023, the company opened its latest site in Stoke-on-Trent, offering self-storage and office rental space for businesses, start-ups and individuals. The 3-level store offers flexible office space and a huge amount of high-quality internal storage space as well as external drive-up units, providing customers with security and flexibility.
Williams says: “This is our seventh store to open in the Midlands, following our Nottingham site opening back in June 2023, and it certainly won’t be our last. We have plans in the pipeline for more stores in the region, with the hope of recruiting more local staff and working closely with SMEs, the backbone of any economy.”
Shaping the future of the sector
In addition to impressive business growth, the company also boasts an array of awards collected over the years – just last year, Storage Giant was named Fastest Growing Storage Business 2023 at the annual Welsh Enterprise Awards and also picked up ‘Best Self Storage Facility Chain UK’ in the European Enterprise Awards.
“In 2024, Storage Giant has clinched two accolades at the Global Business Awards for its contributions toward the self-storage industry: ‘Most Outstanding Self-Storage Facilities 2024 – England & Wales’, and ‘Small Business of the Year 2024 – South Wales’, as well as the ‘Storage Company of the Year 2024’ award at the Welsh Enterprise Awards. These awards are a testament to our dedication to creating storage facilities that exceed client expectations and address the evolving needs of both individuals and businesses,” says Williams.
“We are particularly proud of our strategic approach to security, accessibility, and environmental sustainability, which has positioned Storage Giant as a trailblazer in the realm of commercial real estate. This recognition is not just an affirmation of our past achievements but also an acknowledgment of our ability to shape the future trajectory of the storage solutions sector.”
Having also recently been recognised at the European Enterprise Awards when winning the Best Self Storage Award, the company continues to set its sight on expansion across the UK, and is planning to invest a further £50-£60 million in the next 2-3 years. “We will be acquiring further sites and continuing to develop our pipeline. We are on track with our growth projection, and are looking to triple EBIDTA over that three to five year time frame,” Williams affirms, in concluding.
