I have been involved in the property sector all my working life and now have over 25 years experience in the delivery of development projects across a variety of sectors and regions 

Recently I have focused on the self storage sector, owning and operating facilities as well as providing 3rd Party Management Services to both property owners and investors interested in getting involved in the self-storage sector. 

I have also been a trustee of Resurgo Trust (www.resurgo.org.uk) which helps communities overcome social challenges through church based social ventures and 1MoreChild (www.1morechild.org) which provides housing and schooling for children in Uganda. I am currently a trustee of The Branch (www.thebranchtrust.org) which is a community hub run by St Mary’s Church in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

I can be contacted on 07767 896 292 or nick@wigwamstorage.co.uk

Nick Grant

I'm seeing a number of misconceptions about self storage that are causing landowners and investors to either miss the window of opportunity entirely, or enter the market badly and lose capital.

Self storage still represents a significant property investment opportunity in the UK, but these misconceptions are hindering perception. So I've written this helpful article to expose the myths and reduce your risk.

Hope you like it.

#selfstorageuk #commercialproperty #commercialpropertyinvestment
#landdevelopment

Director at Wigwam Storage Management, pioneering centrally managed, tech enabled self storage facilities and JV partnerships to unlock profitable commercial property value across the UK

Open article: Seven Self-Storage Misconceptions That Could Cost You Hundreds of Thousands by Wigwam Storage Management • 10 min read

Seven Self-Storage Misconceptions That Could Cost You Hundreds of Thousands

One of the fastest-growing customer segments doesn’t have a credit card.


We discovered this first-hand at the weekend after a long dog walk.

Five of us sat down for lunch.
We were handed six menus.

Turns out Snoopy was eating with us.

He had his own menu.
On offer;

• A Doggiecino (frothy milk with lamb bone biscuits)
• Steamed rice with braised beef and vegetables

I briefly considered switching orders (His was cheaper.)

Naturally, I assumed this was a quirky one-off — so I checked when we got home.

It isn’t.

There is now a pet-friendly restaurant meal market worth circa $2bn globally, and it’s growing fast

This isn’t a fad. It’s the result of three bigger forces:
• Pet humanisation – dogs aren’t pets anymore, they’re family(I am guilty of this)
• Experience-led spending – people want shared moments, not just meals
• Social amplification – dogs at brunch = free marketing

In fact, a restaurant in New York has recently launched a full dog-only menu called “À La Bark”.
Starters.
Mains.
Puppuccinos

*Snoopy now expects table service at home*

*97%



That's the annual customer churn rate across the UK self-storage industry.

Operators replace nearly their entire customer base every single year.

I think about this number constantly. 

Especially when I speak with investors and landowners drawn to self-storage by the strong property fundamentals like yield compression, undersupply, and resilient demand.

All true and compelling.

But here's what often gets missed:

Self-storage isn't passive income. It's retail. Every Single Day.
If you're losing 97% of customers annually, you're on a treadmill:

Marketing to fill units
Converting enquiries under pressure
Onboarding new customers
Forever

At Wigwam, we manage 16 facilities and the fundamentals haven't changed.

Over 70% of customers are residential users making emotional decisions. They're stressed about a house move, worried about their belongings and trying to solve a problem quickly.

That requires:

People
Process
Persistence
Pace

This is why specialist self-storage management companies like ours exist - to handle the relentless operational rhythm so owners don't have to.

Execution beats strategy - especially when you're replacing your entire customer base annually. 

*SSA

I work with brands, businesses & people of all types, with the simple aim of helping them grow through Innovation. 

I like making new things that people want. And I like helping other people and organisations make new things that their customers want. #Innovation 

I do this by calling on:
- My extensive experience of working in multiple categories & geographies for the past 25 years
- A thorough and expansive exploration of the evidence and sources of inspiration, both known and unknown
- My fundamental belief in cognitive diversity and collaboration.

Most weeks, I write a thank you to brands, products, services and experiences that I admire and that make me smile. #InnovationGratitude

I also share an innovation aphorism, collected and collated (ahem, borrowed and stolen) over the past 25 years. #InnovationWisdom

And I post about the book I’m writing this year, working title: The Meadow, The Mycelium, and The Magician - A business parable about human-centred systems-innovation in the age of Artificial Intelligence. #InnovationPhilosophy

I feel very lucky to be involved with all sorts of projects, including: Innovation strategy; NPD Insight; EPD; NPD; Proposition development; Brand visioning; Brand portfolio deployment; Brand architecture;  Consumer insight; Sprints/Hackathons.

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