Self-storage is a massive and ever-growing industry that is gaining popularity and appeal. A system in which people rent a unit or container within a larger space or facility to keep their goods, they can still access them when they wish making it an easier and cheaper choice than classic storage. While many people already take advantage of the multitude of facilities for a number of reasons, here we will have a look at self-storage as a whole for those who might know less about it. We will take a look at the number around and how prevalent they are in some areas, what might happen in the future and a few benefits of self-storage to help you decide if it is something you might like to use.
How many self-storage facilities are there in the world?
It is tricky to gauge the exact number of self-storage facilities across the world at this very moment, but there are hundreds of thousands available across the globe with the USA boasting around 50,000 alone. This rakes in tens of billions in revenue just for the one country, with Asia, the UK, and many other countries in Europe and around the world at several hundred million each. While some of these markets are more recent than others there is no doubt that they will soon reach into the thousands of facilities too as demand continues to increase.
Is self-storage a growing industry?
From its origins in the USA in the 1960s with just a few facilities through to today’s multi-billion dollar industry it is clear that self-storage is indeed a growing industry. In America, it has exploded with around 1000 facilities on average per state. In Britain self-storage was a little slower in coming and in growing, with a lot of places still focused in London though with a steady spread across the whole country. Asia is the most recent location for these facilities, only really starting to use them in the last 15 years, with secure and safe facilities like Keep It Self Storage on the forefront of this. However, it is already clear that this will continue to grow and become a huge and increasing market.
What is the future of self-storage?
The future of self-storage seems likely to be full of profit and continued growth. Connected as it is with increasing populations, the need for downsizing in the housing market, and the fact that as consumers we tend to accumulate belongings there is no reason to think this trend will slow. In fact, as more and more countries start to utilise these resources in Asia and other parts of the world, self-storage facilities will keep on being built and making profits in a correspondingly large way.
As more people retire, move, and need to free up space self-storage units will keep going up in demand, but it is likely that enough have been and will be built to keep up with this. While the distant future can be tough to predict, in the next few years this industry will continue to grow by leaps and bounds as people both through choice and necessity continue to need more space. Self-storage will definitely continue to be a sound investment for years to come.
Why should you use self-storage?
Now we come to one of the biggest and most important questions of why you should actually use self-storage in the first place. There are a great many reasons for this, with the centre point being the need to keep some or all of your possessions somewhere safe and secure that is not your home, office or other property. People need this for various amounts of time and because of different things, some of which we will have a look at here.
- Going away for work – it is common, particularly in today’s more flexible and fluid job market to go somewhere else for a short or longer time. This can be a sabbatical or year abroad or anything that involves being away and intending to return. Instead of having to get rid of your belongings or rudely crowd a friend or loved one’s home with your stuff you can pop it in self-storage for as long as you like.
- Moving or redecorating – whether moving house or office this can be a great time to utilise a self-storage facility to look after everything while you go about emptying, cleaning, and decorating your space.
- House clearance – when someone passes away the last thing you want to do is pile on the stress of having to instantly go through their possessions. If you are in a hurry to empty a house for any reason putting it in storage gives you the time to sort it out at your own pace.
The need for more space – this may be a real need, with downsizing or just the reality of inner-city life without much room at home, or even just that you want the luxury and freedom of more space for you. - Document or stock storage – self-storage can be a great way to store your surplus stock that you still need to be able to access, or else to keep things that you want safe and secure without having them cluttering up the office.
All these are just some of the reasons why people every day are choosing to rent out their own storage units to use however they see fit and help make their lives easier.
Conclusion
The self-storage industry is not only huge but continues to grow each year. With hundreds of thousands of facilities around the world generating billions and billions each year it will be interesting to see how big it will end up being. Whatever your reason for using self-storage, make sure that you go with a trustworthy and secure facility like Keep It Self Storage and know that your belongings will be right where you want and when you need them.