Cookes Storage Service

What Cookes Storage Service does

Cookes Storage Service Limited is a UK private limited company (registered in England and Wales, company number 09619030) operating indoor self-storage facilities across three locations: Sutton Coldfield (Minworth, Birmingham/West Midlands), Stratford-upon-Avon (Warwickshire), and Christchurch (Dorset). Founded in 2015 and grown from 98 to 301 units by 2018, the business is a subsidiary of Cookes Furniture Group, a family-run furniture retailer established in 1946 with over 75 years of heritage. It serves two principal segments: individual household customers needing temporary or long-term storage during moves, renovations, or lifestyle transitions, and small-to-medium businesses requiring inventory, document, equipment, and operational storage. Units range from 10 sq ft to 300 sq ft, and container storage is available at the Stratford and Christchurch sites.

The core commercial model is subscription-style recurring monthly rental on flexible rolling contracts with no long-term commitment, supplemented by ancillary revenue streams: one-time sales from the on-site Box Shop (boxes £1.95-£13, moving kits £45-£64.99), StoreProtect optional enhanced liability coverage billed monthly, late payment and default recovery fees, and a free collection/removal service within 1 hour and 5 miles of Sutton Coldfield using in-house 3.5-7.5 ton vehicles. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via an online quote portal (quote.cookesstorage.co.uk), inside sales across three regional phone lines, walk-in enquiries, and a 'Refer a Friend' program offering up to £50 per successful referral. Marketing relies on an SEO/content blog, community sponsorship (Great Midlands Fun Run), and organic social presence.

Operationally the facilities are differentiated by indoor-only storage, 24/7 CCTV, PIN access, individual unit alarms, covered loading bays, free trolley and pallet-truck use, and a Price Match Guarantee within a 3-mile radius for 6 months capped at 25%. The company has no mobile app, no public API, no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and no publicly available financial data. As a privately held subsidiary of a family office (Cookes Furniture Group), there are no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no revenue or valuation disclosures in the public record.

Name

Cookes Storage Service

Legal name

Cookes Storage Service Limited

Website

https://cookesstorage.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cookes Storage Service operates three indoor self-storage facilities in Sutton Coldfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Christchurch, serving individual households and small businesses with units from 10 to 300 sq ft. The firm is a subsidiary of Cookes Furniture Group, a family-run UK retailer with 75+ years of heritage.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Self-Storage Services

NAICS

Lessors of Miniwarehouses and Self-Storage Units (531130), Other Warehousing and Storage (49319)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Standard/Non-Climate Self-Storage (HSAKAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business & Commercial Self-Storage (Inventory/Records) (HSAKAGAD), Specialty Storage (Wine, Art, Document Vaults) (HSAKAGAF)

Keywords

• Self storage services
• Indoor storage units
• Business storage solutions
• Personal storage facilities
• Packing materials retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Sutton Coldfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Storage Unit Rental: Monthly recurring rental fees charged for storage unit usage. Units range from 10 sq ft to 200 sq ft. Flexible rental terms with no long-term commitment required. First payment taken on acceptance of order, subsequent payments in advance.
2. Packing Materials and Box Shop: One-time sales of packing supplies including boxes (Short £1.95, Medium £2.95, Large £4.95, Long £7.25, Archive £2.50, Wardrobe £13.00), bubblewrap, tissue paper, parcel tape, and pre-configured moving kits (1-2 Bedroom Kit £54.99, 3-4 Bedroom Kit £64.99, Value Moving Kit £45.00).
3. Collection and Removal Services: Free collection service within 1 hour and 5 miles of Sutton Coldfield facility. Provides removals assistance using 3.5-7.5 ton vehicles to help customers move belongings.
4. StoreProtect Charges: Optional enhanced liability charges for customers who opt for StoreProtect coverage instead of providing their own insurance for stored goods.
5. Late Payment and Default Fees: Fees charged for late payments, cancelled payments, and recovery costs including debt collection, legal and professional fees for unpaid storage fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cookes Storage Service operates secure, indoor self-storage facilities at three UK locations (Sutton Coldfield, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Christchurch), renting storage units ranging from 10 sq ft to 300 sq ft on flexible monthly contracts. The service covers both personal storage (household items during moves/renovations) and business storage (inventory, documents, equipment, e-commerce stock), supplemented by an in-house Box Shop selling packing supplies, free collection/removal services, on-site office spaces, mailbox services, and optional StoreProtect goods protection insurance.

Product overview

Cookes Storage Service offers a unified self-storage platform with facilities in Stratford-upon-Avon, Sutton Coldfield, and Christchurch. The core product is secure, indoor self-storage units available in sizes from 10sqft to 300sqft. The service portfolio includes Personal Storage and Business Storage as primary offerings, supplemented by Office Spaces for businesses operating on-site, a Box Shop for packing supplies, Collection Services for convenient item pickup, Mailboxes for postal services, and StoreProtect for optional goods protection insurance. A Refer a Friend programme provides customer incentives. The company offers flexible monthly contracts with no long-term commitment required.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Storage

Quantifiable outcome

• No long-term contracts required - flexible monthly rental
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Cookes Furniture GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCookes Storage Service is part of the Cookes Furniture Group of companies. Cookes Furniture is a family-run, premium furniture retailer with over 75 years of experience. The storage business operates synergistically with the furniture retail operation, sharing brand heritage and customer trust.
• SSA-UK (Self Storage Association UK)minorOthersCookes Storage Service is a member of the Self Storage Association UK, the industry trade body for self storage operators in the United Kingdom. Displayed on website footer as member.
• Merry MaidsminorOthersMerry Maids, a family-run cleaning business, operates from office space on the Cookes Storage site in Minworth near Sutton Coldfield and Birmingham. They offer special rates for Cookes customers on cleaning services.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Storage King: Storage King is a UK self-storage franchise operator with multiple sites nationally. Offers comparable self-storage units to consumers and businesses, competing in the same geographic and segment markets as Cookes.
• Lok'nStore Group: Lok'nStore is an AIM-listed UK self-storage company with around 35 sites. Closely comparable to Cookes in targeting personal and business storage customers with indoor units across multiple UK regions.
• Big Yellow Group: Big Yellow is the UK's largest self-storage REIT with 100+ stores. Directly comparable to Cookes in offering indoor self-storage units to personal and business customers, though at vastly greater scale and with a national footprint.
• Ready Steady Store: Ready Steady Store is a UK self-storage operator with several locations focused on personal and small business storage. Similar scale and product breadth to Cookes, with comparable indoor unit offerings.
• Access Self Storage: Access Self Storage is a UK self-storage chain with multiple locations, offering personal and business storage units. Directly comparable to Cookes in product offering and multi-location operating model.
• Shurgard Self Storage: Shurgard is a pan-European self-storage REIT with a strong UK presence. Operates standardised indoor self-storage facilities targeting the same personal and business customer segments as Cookes.
• Safestore Holdings: Safestore is a leading UK and Paris self-storage operator with 130+ stores. Directly competes in the same indoor self-storage category as Cookes, including personal and business storage segments.
• Space Maker Storage: Space Maker Storage is a UK self-storage operator with multiple regional locations. Offers comparable indoor self-storage units to personal and business customers, overlapping with Cookes' West Midlands and southern UK footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Pickfords: Pickfords is a long-established UK removals and storage company. While it offers self-storage as part of a broader moving services portfolio, it competes with Cookes for household and business storage customers, especially during relocations.

Emerging players

• Cube Self Storage: Cube Self Storage is a smaller UK self-storage chain offering indoor units to personal and business customers. Comparable in size and operating model to Cookes, focusing on regional markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cookes-storage-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cookes Storage Service