When looking for a potential new self-storage site, there are several key factors that must be considered to ensure it’s a viable and profitable business. See below a breakdown of some points to look out for:
Location
Accessibility: Your site must be accessible by your customers vehicles. Self-storage facilities must have good access for cars and vans, as well as larger customer vehicles such as removals lorries. Consider this when mapping out your site and designing the width of the roadways.
One must also remember that the lorries delivering the containers are very large, and we recommend having access for articulated lorries to ensure large scale deliveries can take place. Remember: it is more cost effective to have articulated flat bed lorries accommodate a HIAB lorry to keep the costs down and increase the number of containers Boxtor can deliver to you over a given day/ 2 day period.
See our delivery page for more information. We also have a delivery guidelines document which we can send over to you prior to delivery!
Our facility: Alert Self Storage in Northampton, with clear sign posting.
Competitive landscape: Analyse the number of other self storage facilities nearby (both indoor and outdoor sites). How many sites exist within a 10-15 mile radius of your potential site?
- Are they full / almost full?
- What prices are they charging (make sure you investigate this)
- What condition are their sites in? Are they modern and have they invested heavily in their facility or is it a little tired/ old compared to what you might be able to offer as a brand new site?
- Assess what they are offering – pricing and online customer reviews. Look for gaps in the market that you could exploit as a site. Perhaps offer units with lighting / insulation. Perhaps offer more than just containers (eg a workspace on site, a mobile office facility with printing / wifi. Perhaps some toilets on site too / car wash facility. Look to diversify your business beyond just storage!
Proximity to High Demand Areas: the site should ideally be located near residential areas / college & university campus’ / local businesses/ other areas that would require the need for a storage facility. Self storage sites that are located in strong catchment areas where there is a high population requiring additional storage usually do very well as a result of this. Demand is high and therefore pricing can be increased and reviewed based on local competition and demand.
Visibility: the site should ideally be visible from a passing roadway. In our opinion the best marketing is to ‘be seen’ by your customers own eyes. If you can locate your self storage site by a busy main road, potential new customers will drive or walk past your site and likely give you a visit if your signposting / marketing signs are clear and eye catching. Our own self storage facility in Northampton is adjacent to a busy access road into Central Northampton and many of our enquiries come from passing trade.
Market Demand
Demographics: Consider the local population size, growth trends and also income levels. An area with a growing population or higher rates of income should have increased demand and therefore you can charge higher rates.
Local economy: if your local area is in a strong economic position, there may be many businesses that are existing and contributing to a strong local economy. The need for self storage will be higher in some cases. Universities and large scale residential developments almost always increase for the need of a self storage facility.
Seasonality: Be aware that the demand for self storage can fluctuate over the course of a year. It is likely that you will have less demand in the winter months (around December and into Jan/ Feb) whilst the spring/ summer months are usually busier for new bookings.
Zoning & Permitting
- Ensure that the property is correctly zoned for self-storage use. Investigate local zoning laws and restrictions that might impact your ability to operate your self storage business.
- Understand any permitting requirements, as well as regulations related to construction, signage and hours of operation.
Site Layout & Design
Size of your land: The size of your acquired property (whether owned or leased) must accommodate a suitable number of containers, and include the ability to expand in the future as the business grows.
Layout of your containers: Make sure you ‘plan for the future’ when laying the foundations / concrete bases for your containers.
- Are you going to double stack in the future with containers going on top of the ground level? If so, the foundations must be strong enough to take the weight of both ground and upper-level units, as well as potential staircases/ landings and of course, the weight of your customer’s goods that would go inside the containers. This must all be taken into account!
- Ensure your roadways are a suitable width to allow for vehicles to manoeuvre / load and unload outside your storage containers. Are you going to plan the site based on a 1-way system (we recommend this). If so, the minimum width of the roadway should be 5 metres which allows for a vehicle to pass another vehicle without any issues.
- At Boxtor, we can use Google Earth/ maps imagery to superimpose a site layout design at your designated facility. Our CAD engineer can assist with helping you design a suitable CAD drawing displaying how best to layout the location of your containers/ roadways and access. View Our Site Layout Page or Get in touch to find out more!

COST OF ACQUISITION VS LEASING
Consider both the initial upfront cost and also long-term costs & expenses associated with acquiring or leasing a chosen site. This includes the cost of land, utilities, construction and other permits.
The price of land is rising across the UK, and a suitable self-storage site close to a main road is likely to be expensive. The initial upfront cost of acquiring a new site is not for the faint-hearted! You will need to ensure that your business plan allows for this and these costs need to be considered.
If renting the land, ensure you lock in a competitive rate with your landlord over a minimum 10-15-year period. Analyse local rates to gauge whether you are receiving a competitive rate and analyse whether this is expected to rise in the future or not.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND FLOOD RISK
Ensure a suitable site survey is carried out prior to purchasing or leasing a plot of land. Check for environmental hazards such as flooding. Floodplain areas in particular can be very problematic. You do not want to have a container site with lots of water around the storage units!
Consider insurance costs and any other measures relating to environmental costs/ concerns.
ACCESS TO UTILITIES
Ensure that your site has utilities such as water (required for cleaning of units/ the site itself) and also for general domestic use if housing a portable on site office unit (for sink with running water).
You will also require WIFI internet connection for your security systems / CCTV and access control so remember to research this. At our facility (ALERT SELF STORAGE IN NORTHAMPTON) we have to use mobile 4g/ 5 G dual sim cellular internet router as we are unable to have fibre optic access by a local provider due to location.
Exit Strategy
Consider the potential for selling the site/ business or exiting the market in the future. Make sure your site is attractive for a future buyer by investing in it. The short term outgoings of cash at the start should be worth it later down the line… Sometimes cutting corners/ taking shortcuts is not the best route and this definitely applies in self storage.
In another article, we will discuss factors to consider once you have acquired the site (ie the journey from site purchase / acquisition to the day of opening!
At Boxtor, we have nearly 30 years experience supplying new containers specifically for the container self storage market. We also own and operate our own container self storage facility in the midlands (Alert Self Storage). We have been heavily involved in the supply and delivery of thousands of new 1 trip shipping containers of all types and sizes to both brand new or pre existing storage facilities, up and down the UK!
Whether it is your first time in self storage and you need some general advice / consultation or simply want to talk all things containers, we are here to help and guide you every step of the way.

We can put you in touch with the best suppliers in the industry and of course, we are your one stop shop for shipping containers!
Interested in our lease purchase options on containers? (finance with option to buy at the end of a given lease period). Speak to Dominic Coy or Nicola Howells on this.