For most retailers, self-storage is often the answer to providing efficient, convenient, external space for retail stock, without having to clog up your existing business space. Whether you run an online start-up retail business and can no longer find the space in your home, or you’re an established retailer with brick-and-mortar stores but no longer have enough space in your current warehouse without adding extra, expensive stock space, then self-storage units can offer a practical and cost-effective solution. As a typical storage-unit cost is around 50% less than an equivalent extra retail space, business owners should consider investing in a self-storage unit to store their excess stock.
The nature of a retail business sees frequent stock turnover, so storing your retail goods efficiently in a self-storage unit is a crucial step to keeping your business running smoothly and successfully. Keep reading our guide to storing your retail stock in an efficient way with a robust, self-storage unit at Storage World.
1. Invest in the right self-storage unit
Depending on the level of storage your retail business requires, it’s important to invest in the right-sized space. Storage World provide customers with a handy guide to different sized unit spaces, so business owners can visualise how much self-storage they require on average. The Storage World interactive space calculator allows business owners to slide through the different measurements of storage space in square foot, with a visual unit representation complete with a brief description of what the storage unit can hold. For example, a 75-square-foot self-storage container at Storage World will hold the contents of a 1 to 2 bedroom house. Two full van loads of belongings, or roughly around 175 medium-sized boxes. Take the time to properly plan and predict how much retail stock storage you may require, as this is the most efficient way to minimise unnecessary costs.
Here at Storage World, rather than solely guessing how much space your stock may take up, we would suggest chatting to one of our friendly storage experts or visiting one of our self-storage sites to look at the storage space available to you in person, to get a better representation of what space you may require.
If you’re considering holding your excess retail stock in self-storage, consider a reputable, flexible and secure range of business self-storage units at Storage World. Storage World’s flexible business units are available in 20 different sizes, ranging from small locker space, up to 2,000 square ft containers, so you can be sure you’ll find the necessary storage space you need. An added benefit is that there are no contracts involved, so you can upsize or downsize quickly and easily as needed.
2. Label and organise stock efficiently
Although arguably the most straightforward piece of advice, many business owners tend to forget about the importance of labelling and organising stock efficiently. Labelling is the key method of organising any well-run, orderly and efficient storage space.
Taking the time to properly organise your extra stock by categories on your website or locations in your store before you transport it into a self-storage unit, has many advantages. For example, if business owners fail to organise stock in an efficient way, other employees may find it difficult to source items which could, in turn, lead to late or missed deliveries, inaccurate stock checks and even a loss of earnings if stock becomes misplaced.
Sorting your goods into categories, colour-coding systems, or alphabetically, is an efficient way to avoid confusion, and saves both you and your employees time. Or, if you’re a solo entrepreneur, it saves the time and effort it takes to find stock when needed, especially if you’re a business owner with a significant amount of goods. If your retail stock is already labelled, could your system be improved? Are the labelled storage boxes obvious of what’s inside, or should these be labelled to properly reflect where these products lie within your store? If your stock turnover is frequent, it’s important to take the time to ensure your stockroom is correctly and efficiently labelled and ordered, with older items at the front and new ones to the back.
At Storage World, we’re able to provide retail business owners with any packaging materials they require, so there’s no need to spend extra time sourcing materials ahead of your move-in, as the stock can be properly labelled and packed when you arrive. Storage World also has the capability to provide business owners with alternate methods of transportation, which is particularly useful if you have large amounts of stock and no way of transporting it to our storage facility.
As well as providing business owners with the right materials and equipment needed to organise stock efficiently, Storage World help customers make the most of storage-unit space by adding vertical racking systems to the adaptable units. Utilising vertical space within a self-storage unit allows business owners to build upwards, which becomes a more efficient method of storage, as taking excess stock off the floor and storing across tall racking units allows stock to become more visible, so owners, or employees can clearly navigate through the unit in a more efficient, streamlined way.
3. Discard old retail stock items
Although it’s tempting to hold onto the old stock you’ve previously purchased that you’ve now discontinued, or items that just didn’t fair very well with your target customers, it could be detrimental to your business and the efficiency of your storage unit.
Removing old stock frees up more storage space to put to better use with necessary stock items and it’ll be much easier for business owners to keep on top of storage areas, therefore increasing overall storage efficiency and productivity. The right course of action for discarding old retail stock depends on the very nature of your retail business. Discounting old stock in a flash sale, hosting a number of giveaways or making a charitable donation to help increase brand awareness are all great ways of discarding old retail stock.
Self-Storage Units at Storage World
Store your excess retail stock, securely and efficiently in a business self-storage unit at Storage World. Storage World’s flexible units allow business owners to move between storage sizes, so if you underestimate the level of storage you require for your retail stock, business owners can move freely between room sizes and only pay for the space they need. As well as the flexible level of storage space, business owners are free to come and go as they please, with 7-days a week and around the clock access available upon request. Meaning that retail business owners who work unpredictable shifts are able to replenish stock as and when they have the free time to do so.
With free to use trolleys, round-the-clock, high level security and upgraded WiFi access, Storage World’s leading storage units in Greater Manchester offer business owners an efficient, excess retail stock solution. Get in touch with one of our friendly storage experts to receive a free, no-obligation quote.
