SSA UK's New Chief Executive on Standards, Growth and Technology.

To mark Simon Forrester’s first six months as Chief Executive of the UK Self Storage Association (SSA), the Movers and Storers Magazine spoke to him about a wide range of topics, including the SSA and the future of the self storage industry.

We started by covering the first months that Simon has been in this role

M&S Magazine: What attracted you to the UK Self Storage Association role, and what did you see that made you think “I can move this forward”?

Simon Forrester: I knew my predecessor Renie Schafer from being in board roles for the same not-for-profit organisation, and I was really impressed with how he had helped to grow and mould both the self storage sector and the association. He gave me a call to say he was moving on and encouraged me to apply. I genuinely wasn’t looking for a new job, but the more I looked into it, the more attractive the sector and the challenges of the role became.

The culture of the membership is one that embraces change and opportunity. Some sectors I have worked in, it’s been an uphill struggle, but I get a sense that self storage is willing to both listen and get involved.

As a sector, it’s still in its infancy; it’s only been around in its current format for half a century, and has much further to go.

M&S Magazine: What have you learned so far that surprised you about the sector or the association’s role? Have you identified any “top priorities”?

Simon Forrester: I think the sector needs to ensure we remain self-regulated by raising and maintaining standards, communicating the value of self storage to the public, and demonstrating what ‘good’ looks like. The removals industry has done this well, and we are working on a structured audit process against the European Standard for self storage (BS EN 15696).

M&S Magazine: Is there any way of measuring success in the first year?

Simon Forrester: I think the goal is “evolution” rather than “revolution” - I have a strong foundation to work from, and the Board are meeting soon to revise the strategy, based on input from the staff team and members.

All associations have the challenge of how to serve smaller independents versus larger operators and keep their offer relevant and credible for all. The best benefits are ones that support all the membership. I think one of the best things I could give to all our members is to grow the self storage ‘pie’. In the US the market is much larger (12% versus 4% uptake in the UK) because more of the public understand the value of, and therefore utilise, self storage. I’m currently looking at how we can support our members to expand the demand for their services. We did this in the pest control sector (Editor’s note: Simon ran The British Pest Control Association from 2010 to 2018), focusing on ensuring our members were selected for commercial contracts.

In self storage the goal is to ensure every member of the public sees self storage as a viable alternative in terms of the location of their nascent startup business, or a place to safely store their property, and that they approach a SSA UK member first.

The discussion then looked at the UK SSA’s future strategy.

M&S Magazine: Have you identified any particular “member needs” as being particularly urgent right now – for example:  planning, rates, staffing, energy costs, security, customer acquisition, regulation, technology?

Simon Forrester: I’m in the middle of a programme of visits to operator and supplier members which has been really enlightening. The main challenges for members are around regulation; the common ones across all sectors (planning, business rates, energy costs, recruiting and retaining skilled people) and those more specific to our sector, such as pricing transparency and customer churn, which surprisingly isn’t a negative - if a storage business is at 100% capacity, it’s doing something wrong.

M&S Magazine: Where is the focus? – e.g. advocacy, standards, training, market intelligence, or something else?

Simon Forrester: Our medium term focus is standards, which in turn will support our advocacy work. We are already fairly strong on industry statistics. Our industry data with Cushman & Wakefield (new version to be published April 2026) is an excellent resource, supported by other benefits like Property Week digital subscriptions and YouGov data on public sentiment. However, I think there is more we can do using AI to present the data – and our extensive portfolio of member resources   in a form whereby members can interrogate it to answer their specific questions and help them to make more informed business decisions. I’m discussing with our partners how we can achieve this.

M&S Magazine: Anything specific on improving membership value?

Our goal as an association is to put our suppliers and operators in the same room to have structured discussions where each learns from the other. That’s why our Telford Conference (29-30 April) is so important. We’ve changed the structure of our events and training offering to catch companies at the start of their journey into self storage. The Conference has a theatre with seminars across the two days specifically designed to help new entrants with the challenges they face – everything from overcoming planning issues to selection of a space management system, from insurance products for customers to securing the site using AI oversight.

Looking at the future, self storage is blending into removals, and vice versa. From the conversations I had with attendees at the Movers and Storers Show, many removals companies are looking to diversify into self storage, and the returns on investment are definitely there. With average revenue of over £29 per square foot of space across around 3,000 UK sites, the sector has a turnover of £1.2billion – and there is still a lot of room for new entrants. Our goal is to ensure those joining the sector do things properly.

We are seeing more modular crated storage solutions entering the market - the true hybrid between removals and self storage. In the future I can see a role for autonomous delivery of stored goods, for example you tell your AI agent to book a round of golf, and it delivers your clubs from storage to the course. All this tech is already there – the opportunity is in getting it to work together.

M&S Magazine: How can the Young Storage Network develop talent, careers, leadership pipeline?

Simon Forrester: We need to do more to show that there are some great career opportunities in our industry, whether rising through the ranks within an operator, or in the huge range of companies that provide support as suppliers.

Secondly, to show that self storage is a strong alternative to consider instead of renting expensive living space for ‘stuff’ that you only need to use now and again. Our Young Storage Network has a lot to say on this topic and in helping me to set the agenda. They foster networking, mentorship, and visibility, helping younger people connect and thrive. I am keen to support under-represented groups to achieve leadership roles, and I hope we can mentor the next generation of our sector to redress this imbalance. We’re also trying to improve diversity across our events and webinar speaker programmes.

The interview moved on to industry standards and professionalism.

M&S Magazine: Do you have any examples of where you think standards matter most today? (for example: contracts and customer fairness, safety, security, fire risk, staff training, complaints handling, data protection)

Simon Forrester: We’ve developed a watertight customer contract for members to use – it’s been live-tested over 30 years and offers operators a bullet-proof template for customer agreements, tailored to the law in Scotland, Northern Ireland and England and Wales. This, backed up with around 200 other documents makes up the core of our offer – all the documents you need to run a successful self storage business, whether external container storage or internal.

Our standards are set around what good looks like, focusing on contractual issues, site security, operations and HR, response to enquiries, and insurance and risk management. By following them from day one, you will cut out many of the headaches operators have been through in the past, and reach profit much sooner.

M&S Magazine: Are there any gaps in current guidance where you think the SSA UK should publish clearer “best practice”?

I have been watching the developments in the US around clarity of pricing. We have to ensure our pricing structures are clear to the customer; hidden charges and complex offers are a potential source of risk to operators and the wider sector. Another area we have in our sights is support on handling crisis PR. When an operator faces a major issue such as a fire, flood or break in, we want to give them the tools to handle this effectively and maintain their (and the wider sector’s) reputation and brand. We’ll be launching a new member benefit on this in Telford.

The interview considered market development and growth.

M&S Magazine: Where is UK self-storage growth coming from now? Where is the development - house moves, SMEs, e-commerce, life events, student demand, urbanisation?

Simon Forrester: Without wishing to ‘jinx’ things, self storage is generally recession-proof. The mix varies across the country dependent on demographics, but with a core of around a third to half being business users, and the rest made up by the public. Smaller houses, more apartment living and more single-person households, coupled with an increasingly entrepreneurial demographic, means self storage demand is growing.

The main constraints on new site development are around availability of land, planning approvals and for smaller start-ups, financing. We are working to address all three.

M&S Magazine: What new formats do you envisage?  Urban micro-sites, automated sites, container-based storage, hybrid services?

Simon Forrester: We are seeing more micro sites being developed within city centres, perhaps in an old Woolworths or in the basement of a converted office block or car park. Autonomous (remotely managed) sites are on the rise – the tech is there to support this. We have members running multiple site operations from their phone, with minimal touch points, it’s an excellent work-life balance if you plan properly.

M&S Magazine: Do you expect consolidation to accelerate, and what does that mean for competition and customer outcomes?

Simon Forrester: Many owners still have small portfolios; institutional capital sees roll‑up, professionalisation and margin‑expansion opportunities via third-party management companies like Flexiss and Storage King. There are one or two larger operators that might be acquired, but there are new entrants on a weekly basis – and they are expanding rapidly. Most have multiple sites within three years.

Investor appetite is broad; private equity, REITs, developers and lenders are all active, and the demand is there as self storage is a very stable offer. In the case of commercial real estate, selfs storage has hundreds of small customers as opposed to a handful of tenants, so churn is less of an issue, making it a safer investment.

M&S Magazine: Do any opportunities exist for market expansion outside the traditional demographic footprint?

Simon Forrester: The market is still finding its feet, and there are opportunities for all. I know of some specialisation (for examplebonded stoprage for goods, or  temperature-controlled storage for wine, used heavily by high net worth individuals and restaurants). We will see self storage become more widely known – my job is to accelerate that process.

The discussion then turned to technology and innovation.

M&S Magazine: Which technologies will most change operations in the next 2 to 3 years (e.g. dynamic pricing, CRM/marketing automation, access control, remote staffing, AI call handling, IoT unit monitoring, security analytics, etc?)

Simon Forrester: The number of unmanned stores continues to increase. In our recent survey 15% of stores did not have a single staff member permanently on site, but I would expect that to double within three years. Tech‑enabled access, with lower staffing costs often sited in smaller or secondary locations, appeal to price‑sensitive and digitally confident users.

Removers’ storage, mobile storage, peer‑to‑peer and small ’bolt‑ons# exist but are excluded from our core definition of self storage because they lack ’static space‘ or ’ready access’. If we include those, the industry is probably 25% larger.

M&S Magazine: Where do you see new technology genuinely improving the customer experience – and not just “cutting costs”?

Simon Forrester: Integrated access control systems that also manage the customer journey are developing quickly, with learnings from the hospitality and retail sectors. We have some very innovative suppliers in our sector, offering integrated systems that allow real time AI analysis of the customer base and facilities.

M&S Magazine: And what are the biggest barriers to tech adoption for operators – capex, integration, cybersecurity, skills, vendor quality?

Simon Forrester: The biggest barriers to tech adoption at present would be resistance to change and limited digital capabilities – the operators that are starting out now are almost entirely tech-first, and even if their site is mainly the traditional padlocks and gates, they are ensuring their systems can be adapted easily – it’s not if, but when.

M&S Magazine: Any thoughts on how the SSA can support tech maturity: guidance, vendor frameworks, case studies, benchmarks, training?

Simon Forrester: We have a lot to learn from, and also teach, our counterparts across the world. While the US is a more mature market, their adoption of security on sites is a lot less advanced – we are doing some great stuff around app-based access systems and AI-enabled CCTV site monitoring in the UK, and this is a knowledge base that others are looking to emulate.

M&S Magazine: What’s your stance on data? Should the SSA UK build better sector metrics (occupancy, rate trends, churn) and how?

Simon Forrester: Our sector has great knowledge, but there are some silos – for example I’d love an open conversation with our supplier base about a shared knowledge pool or data stack – that way we could ask some very interesting questions which to date have been impossible to answer.

M&S Magazine: In your opinion, is there any technology that’s being “overhyped” in self-storage? Or any that’s being “underused”?

Simon Forrester: 68% of businesses are actively using AI, which is a strong base for further integration. Indeed, our call for speaker topics at our Telford Member Conference yielded AI integration as the number one request, and the agenda reflects that. One example is commercial levers around dynamic pricing and revenue management i.e. the use AI to optimise rate cards by unit type, seasonality, competitor pricing and lead behaviour, while integrating with google ads.

Safety, resilience, risk, trust, transparency, brand reputation sustainability – these are all critical for future of the self-storage industry. We asked Simon for his opinions on these issues.

M&S Magazine: Do you get a sense of what risks are keeping operators “awake at night” -  fire, lithium batteries, crime, flooding, business interruption, cyber?

Simon Forrester: We have a great relationship with the - luckily few - members who have suffered major issues such as fires or break-ins, and take time to learn from these and transmit that information among the wider membership.

We also work with insurers and the authorities such as the fire service on storage of lithium ion batteries, or the police on combating container crime by organised gangs.

We want to work alongside our colleagues from other allied sectors such as removals, warehousing and caravan storage, but also with client groups such as property, student housing on common issues like business rates or planning reform.

Over 90% of stores offer online booking, and more than 40% of customers would consider using an unstaffed store – a figure that rises each year. Some operators need to move quickly to ensure they keep pace with customer demand.

Self-storage is also a hub for the development of new companies; 24% of business users run their entire business from a storage unit. We are trying to get this across to planning departments as an incubator for tomorrow’s employers and business rate payers.

M&S Magazine: Is sustainability becoming a “competitive differentiator”? Or just a running cost?

Simon Forrester: While sustainability is an issue on operators’ radar, we are not yet seeing this materialise in purchasing decisions by customers.

On the planning side, many local authorities are insisting on large bike racks at sites, despite very few customers arriving by bike carrying all their worldly goods!

On a more serious note, most new developments have photovoltaics to offset energy costs, and external containers offer a ready-made platform for larger arrays. Similarly, many new city centre sites are repurposing existing buildings and we are seeing more small sites opening within mixed use developments. It won’t be long before we see one or more floors of self-storage designed within new apartment blocks.

The interview concluded with Simon’s views on the current market and trends for future growth.

M&S Magazine: How is the current market and where do you see future demand?

Simon Forrester: Prime, purpose‑built, well‑located assets with strong data trails will always command sharper pricing; secondary, small or non‑compliant stock will see softer demand or be repositioned. I’d urge anyone starting out in self storage to consider their exit as a first step.

We expect continued strong demand for scale portfolios and institutional‑grade assets, with pricing disciplined by the cost of capital and macro uncertainty (rates, tariffs, growth).

The removals sector is very well-positioned to transition to self storage. Their sites are generally flat land with existing buildings and hard standing, located on good roads close to population centres, and probably with the correct planning code (B8) which is half the battle. Removals businesses looking to potentially diversify into self storage should come to Telford and meet the sector – we’re a friendly bunch!

M&S Magazine: And what about the future?

Simon Forrester: Self storage has seen the largest growth in terms of size over the last 20 years, and that has increased its attractiveness as an asset class.

The sector is witnessing a surge in institutional interest, with mature portfolios attracting increasingly Core and Core+ capital. This is being driven by both historic and projected growth in the sector, as well as strong underlying fundamentals. Across real estate, capital is rotating from pure bricks‑and‑mortar to operational platforms such as self storage.

All the research shows the UK market is expected to grow by at least 40 per cent in the next 10-12 years. This means there is scope and space for both new entrants, and for existing operators to grow and develop. Our future as a sector is strong, and we welcome new entrants.

Telford 2026: Level up for storage
The Self Storage Association UK (SSA UK) is gearing up for its UK Self Storage Level Up Conference 2026, billed as the country’s most energising event for self storage professionals and a key date for operators, suppliers and industry leaders.

Designed around the theme of momentum, growth and continuous improvement, the two-day conference will focus on helping businesses sharpen skills, expand networks and find practical ways to improve performance. SSA UK says the “Level Up” concept reflects the reality of modern business: making fast decisions, adapting under pressure and learning from every challenge.

Attendees can expect a packed programme of expert speakers, practical insights and sector-focused discussion, alongside a major trade show showcasing new products, services and technology. New for 2026 will be a presentation theatre on the trade show floor, adding even more opportunities for learning and idea-sharing.

The UK self storage industry remains strong, with more than 2,900 facilities nationwide and annual turnover of up to £1.2 billion. SSA UK represents around 750 members and subscribers, spanning major listed operators through to smaller rural container storage businesses.

To attend the SSA UK Telford conference (29-30 April) at a special discounted rate, visit SSA UK Level Up Conference 2026 and use the code Movers26.

Photo: Simon Forrester, UK Self Storage Association Chief Executive.