Self-storage property company (REIT) · Real Estate & Property

Safestore

A UK self-storage company with around 140 stores across England, Scotland and Wales, listed on the London Stock Exchange and also operating in Europe.

About Safestore

Safestore provides self-storage for people and businesses. Customers rent a secure room in a storage building when they are moving home, clearing out clutter, studying away from home, or storing business stock. The company says its purpose is to offer "secure, flexible, and accessible storage" that helps individuals, businesses and communities thrive. It also sells packing boxes and padlocks, and offers contents insurance under the StoreProtect name. Safestore Holdings is listed on the FTSE 250.

The business was founded in the UK in 1998. The company's page does not name the original founders. In 2004 it expanded into France by buying Une Pièce en Plus, a business founded by Frederic Vecchioli, who is now the Group chief executive. Since then it has grown into a European group with brands in France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium, and joint ventures in Germany and Italy. Its values, which it says were created by store teams, are customer focus, leadership, people, difference and understanding.

In the UK, Safestore says it has about 142 stores across England, Scotland and Wales, with more than 55 inside the M25 around London. The company's own pages give slightly different totals (between 139 and 142), so treat the number as approximate. Cities with stores include London, Manchester, Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bristol, Leeds, Cardiff, Newcastle, Portsmouth and Southampton. The company's page says around 550 colleagues work across UK stores and support functions. On the environment, it says all UK stores run on 100% certified renewable electricity, and it is committed to operational net zero by 2035.

On culture, the company's careers page describes a friendly, supportive environment where colleagues are shown "a genuine interest" in their development, and where managers and directors pitch in on any task, giving the example of a manager sweeping and a director emptying the dishwasher. Safestore says it earned Investors in People Platinum accreditation in 2024 for the second time, and the Self Storage Association UK counts it as a member. These are the company's own claims.

Roles in a business like this start in the stores, where teams welcome customers, show them rooms, handle bookings and keep sites safe, clean and well organised. Beyond the stores are area managers, customer service staff, marketing, finance, property and development teams, IT, and sustainability roles. Friendly manner, organisation and an interest in service are valued in store jobs, while property, planning and finance backgrounds suit the head-office side. Safestore lists vacancies on its own jobs website.

What they do

Key facts

Website: www.safestore.co.uk

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