Automated self-storage firm unlocks first location in Cambridgeshire

St Neots in Cambridgeshire is the seventh location in the expansion of a fully automated self-storage service as part of its planned growth across the East of England and the East Midlands.

Smart Box Self Storage has now added St Neots to its roster of locations in Ampthill, Stamford, Oundle, Leicester, Desborough and Corby in leasing 11,625 sq ft of former factory and office premises at 2 Howard Road in the Eaton Socon commercial district of the Cambridgeshire market town through BTG Eddisons.

Fully operational later this month once additional mezzanine floors have been added to the original warehouse and office unit at 2 Howard Road, Smart Box Self Storage offers 24-hour, securely monitored, automated access to its facilities via a dedicated app/QR code entrance, which is backroom-supported for troubleshooting.

Smart Box Self Storage was established in 2022 on its original site in Corby by Roger Canham, who remains a Director. The fully automated service has proved a successful business model for rolling out across the East of England and East Midlands where accessible road locations in close enough proximity to significant centres of population are key to the winning business formula in serving commercial and domestic customers looking for a range of storage space sizes.

Roger Canham explains, “Undoubtedly, self-storage is one of the UK’s growth industries over the past decade - to the point where the UK’s Self-Storage Association’s latest industry report notes that the total industry turnover is £1.3 billion with a total of 67.5 million sq ft let for the purpose.

“It is far from a saturated market in the UK, where it is estimated that per head of population, we only rent 1 square foot of storage versus, for instance, the US where is it 10 square foot per person.

“Obviously, land mass is a factor, but the success of Smart Box Self Storage within such a short space of time proves there is an appetite for self-storage especially if we lead mobile, peripatetic lifestyles between college, rental properties and jobs or, indeed, have side-hustle businesses whose products cannot be accommodated within a home.

“We are always looking for the right accommodation in the right location such as this latest one in St Neots.”

Stephen Power, who led the lease negotiations for BTG Eddisons on behalf of the landlord of the Howard Road Industrial Estate premises, said, “St Neots’ position on the map means it’s perfectly placed to capitalise on this growing sector of the UK economy where location and logistical reach are as operationally critical as they are to more established. conventional industrial, manufacturing and warehouse occupiers of commercial properties.”