Rent prices have sky-rocketed in London to an impossible point, not only in residential homes but also in commercial properties. Renting a space for your business can wipe your bank account clean even before you’ve had chance to furnish and fill it with stock. This can start the financial ball rolling on a downhill slope to closure due to lack of profit after letting fees.
With modular building on the rise, modular design has conquered the worlds of government housing, homeless shelters and classroom extensions to personalised luxury homes. It seems like people are catching on to the innovative concept of modular building and are customising spaces tailored to their needs. With so many different functions of shipping containers, renting and transforming one of our portable cabins in London for a pop-up shop could be a modern and trendy idea.
London has already conquered the container concept in Shoreditch, East London, where Boxpark was installed in 2011. A selection of mini retail chains all stand in a row with stores ranging from Gap, STA Travel and Kiehls alongside several other large and small scale stores. With business still booming in boxes in London, the concept could prove to be a more progressive and efficient way to start up your company.
But what are some things to consider when choosing a pop-up shipping container for your shop?
Start Small
It’s difficult to predict how successful your business is going to be. Taking out a lease that your first year of trade won’t even cover can be heartbreaking, not to mention flogging the left over stock for 99 per cent off.
With shipping containers available in a range of sizes, stock can be made more manageable with a limited selection of your products on show. This could act as more of a sample sale for your start up as an assessment as to the rate of your trade in a given month.
Modify Your Modular
So you’ve got an idea of your profit margins and clientele and you may be thinking of expanding or alternatively downsizing. Take your business to the next stage by changing the size and dimensions of your container after your hire time is up.
On the other hand, you may be thinking of investing in a unit to own. If you have permission to put your unit in a public space, you could launch your pop up store as a permanent fixture with a modern edge.
Freedom to be Flexible
The beauty of opening your shop from the cosy confines of a container is that you can sell your product from home. The fact that these steel structures can be transported to any location means that your commute to work would take next to no time.
Alternatively, you may need one or more containers for an upcoming event. For example, if your business is mainly based online you can create a temporary space for your products within a small unit.
If you’re either thinking about hiring a micro-space for your start-up, or are looking to expand an already blooming business with a contemporary twist, browse the different options available at Flintham Cabins on our website or contact us to get a quote at 020 8459 6972. You can also keep up with our latest news by following our Twitter page.
