With the completion of Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, the last 18 months has changed the world permanently. Consumers were forced to change the way they shopped, and businesses faced unprecedented levels of uncertainty. The onset of Covid-19 resulted in the closure of non-essential shops, with online shopping reaching peak levels. The high demand meant businesses needed to find additional storage space for large quantities of stock, and fast. While key Brexit negotiations were ongoing, UK-based businesses continued to produce goods, resulting in longer times spent in storage, on-site and at ports and airports awaiting export.

Data from property consultancy and estate agent Savills has stated that more than 50.5 million sq ft of new space was leased in 2020, which is 12 million more than the previous record year in 2016. Under the increased financial pressure of Covid-19, temporary buildings came into their own.

This article was first published in the September 1st 2021 issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, subscribe to the magazine by clicking here.

Well done to Aganto, whose customer hired a 15m x 15m x 4.2m building with an insulated roof and sandwich clad walls. The building was anchored directly on concrete and fitted with two electric roller shutter doors and a pedestrian fire door. Once planning was approved, the installation was carried out by Aganto’s in-house site engineers in just three days, with the electrical fitted out and lighting completed on day four.

Congratulations to CopriSystems, whose customised structures may be temporary but they are durable enough to withstand even the harshest marine environments and are designed to last. Built off-site, they can be ready to go within a matter of weeks, therefore minimising further disruption at the borders and offering the highest standard of storage to accommodate a broad range of goods as well as variable bulk handling practices.

Good to hear Rubb has supplied industrial door specialist Hart Door Systems Ltd with a rented storage facility. Rubb was able to offer a 36-month rental contract for a 10m span x 16m long BVR type storage building, featuring a sidewall height of 6m. Rubb fabric buildings feature structural steelwork that has been hot dip galvanised to protect against corrosion.

As the boom in e-commerce looks almost certain to carry on for the foreseeable future, there will remain a great demand for warehouse storage which is a bonus for providers of buildings and facilities.

George Simpson

Features Editor

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