Is Britain turning into a nation of hoarders? As the number of self-storage facilities in the UK now officially outweighs the number of McDonald’s restaurants, Costa Coffee Stores, and even Greggs stores!
To put that in perspective, as of 2024, the industry has an estimated 2,706 locations across the country – almost one in every single town- more than double the number of McDonald’s (1,300) restaurants in the UK.
| Facility/Chain | Number in the UK |
| Storage Facilities | 2706 |
| Greggs | 2300 |
| Costa Coffee | 1600 |
| McDonald’s | 1300 |
| Starbucks | 1266 |
| Cinemas/Movie Theatres | 846 |
A Nation of Hoarders
While it may feel like there’s a Costa Coffee on every corner and a Greggs or two on every high street, the self-storage industry has been quietly booming in the background.
As of 2024, the self-storage industry generates approximately £1.1 billion in revenue every year – expected to skyrocket to an average turnover of £1.5 billion by 2025.
Indeed, it seems that Brits are embracing the ability to hoard to their heart’s content, too, with more storage facilities on every corner than there are spots to grab a sausage roll, visit the golden arches or the chance to grab a coffee to go!
Self-Storage Industry Stats
There is about 0.89 square foot of self-storage space nationally for each person in the United Kingdom as of 2024 – up over 8 percent from last year, and with average occupancy rates of over 77.5%, that space is certainly well-used around the country.
However, there’s still much more room to grow .
Recent industry reports indicate that moving home, downsizing, renovating, and life-changing events act as triggers for many self-storage customers. A death in the family is the most common reason for use, followed by divorce, relocating abroad, and downsizing.
Perhaps more shocking of all in light of these revelations is the fact that only 2% of the UK population are estimated to currently use self-storage – leaving the question, just how much are this select group storing to occupy so much storage space?
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Sources
We gathered the data on the number of stores across the UK from the following sources:
