The self-storage industry has remained largely unchanged for decades, operating with padlocks, keys, and staffed facilities that require customers to drive to the outskirts of town. But a new wave of technology-driven operators is challenging this model, bringing automated, centrally located storage solutions directly into urban centers.
Maxwell Wilson, co-founder of Pocket Storage, represents this emerging approach. After raising capital from investment partners Forum in Q1 2025, his company is targeting what he calls “ultra-urban, fully automated self-storage facilities,” a significant shift from the industry’s traditional playbook.
“Traditional operators would buy land, get planning permission, build a 100,000 square foot unit, own the freehold, and operate a self-storage business from that,” Wilson explains. “What we’re trying to do is target smaller, more centrally located assets, closer to the end consumer, and manage those remotely through a technology platform we’re building entirely in-house.”
Wilson’s path to self-storage began with an unexpected detour through bicycle parking. In 2019, he launched Spokesafe, converting underutilized urban spaces into secure bike parking hubs. When COVID-19 hit, the business pivoted from B2B contracts to handling thousands of individual bookings via email—a process Wilson describes as “horrible and arduous.”
“We did something like 3,500 individual bookings via email. It was 24/7 customer service, we’d have to send verification links, payment links, then they’d download a third-party app to unlock doors. It was this horribly disjointed process,” he recalls.
This pain point sparked a strategic shift toward building a comprehensive booking and operational platform. Today, Spokesafe operates across 12 cities, processing approximately 35,000 facility accesses monthly through its proprietary app-based system.
“We thought, if we’re going to be doing more of these, perhaps we should focus on building the booking and operational platform to run these facilities, rather than actually building the facilities themselves,” Wilson notes.
The self-storage sector presented an obvious target for technological improvement. Wilson identified characteristics that made the industry ripe for innovation: high and rising staffing costs, commoditized products, price-sensitive customers, slow booking, and limited price transparency.
“You look across the board at self-storage operators, and it has all the characteristics of something needing more technology adoption,” he observes. “Operating costs for staff are really high and getting higher. It’s very commoditized, the actual storage units are more or less the same across the industry.”
The staffing component is a significant opportunity. Traditional facilities typically employ two to three people and operate with limited hours, with staffing costs accounting for approximately 30% of total operating expenses. By eliminating on-site staff, Pocket Storage can target locations where others cannot afford to operate.
“The reduction in staffing costs means we can target areas where other operators can’t really afford to trade because our overhead is much less,” Wilson explains. “That lets us get into places that other operators basically can’t do.”
Pocket Storage’s strategy focuses on facilities under 30,000 square feet in central locations—the opposite of the industry’s typical approach. This size constraint is deliberate: larger facilities reduce the competitive advantage of remote operation as staffing costs become a smaller proportion of total expenses.
“Our competitive advantage on remotely operating decreases as the sites get bigger,” Wilson notes. “Also, it’s difficult in central cities to get large amounts of relatively cheap space.”
The company targets property types like car parks, basements, and rear portions of buildings. Since customer acquisition happens primarily through online channels, prominent street-level locations aren’t essential.
“Most customers are going to come through online bookings, SEO, Google search, it’s not like a retail business where having super high footfall is key to success,” Wilson explains. “The footfall is online, not in real life.”
Pocket Storage’s technology platform addresses two areas: customer-facing functionality and internal management. The consumer experience prioritizes what Wilson calls “price transparency,” a significant departure from industry norms.
“If you look at most self-storage operators, it’s quite difficult to figure out what units are available and what you’re actually going to end up paying,” he observes. “Almost all of them will have some gimmicky offer for a month, then it jacks up after that, and jacks up again after another three months.”
The booking process is designed for speed and simplicity. Customers can complete the entire process, from initial search through unit access, in three to four minutes. The system includes user registration, ID verification, unit selection, payment, and immediate access code generation.
“You can be standing outside a self-storage facility, sign up, book, pay for, and access your unit within three to four minutes,” Wilson explains.
The technical infrastructure uses digital locks with rotating codes rather than Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, ensuring reliable operation regardless of network conditions. The backend dashboard provides oversight, including customer management, space allocation, revenue analytics, and real-time monitoring.
The UK self-storage market includes about 3,500 brands, yet consumer awareness remains limited. Wilson sees this fragmentation as an opportunity for differentiation through branding and customer experience.
“The market consumer awareness of self-storage branded operators is very slim,” he notes. “The names are all very similar, Safe Store, Access, Lock Store, Sure Store. The color schemes are the same. They’re not the most memorable brands in the world.”
This is particularly relevant given the industry’s operational characteristics. Annual churn rates range from 85-90%, with occupancy typically between 75-85%, creating constant customer acquisition pressure.
“It’s a constant battle of gaining customers, losing customers, gaining customers, losing customers,” Wilson explains. “If you can decrease the amount of money you’re spending to gain customers, then you’re at a competitive advantage.”
Pocket Storage plans to launch its first facility in Bermondsey in September 2025, housed in a converted warehouse that was part of an old biscuit factory. A second London location is under development, with planning permission in process.
By year-end, Pocket Storage aims for three to four London locations, with more sites planned for early 2026. Beyond London, Wilson sees opportunity in any major UK city, with longer-term expansion possible in the United States and Europe.
“Part of the thesis is more and more people are going to be moving into city centers, living in smaller and smaller buildings as housing costs go up,” he explains. “That creates tailwind for people needing cheaper off-site storage.”
Demographic trends support this thesis. Declining car ownership rates, particularly among younger urban residents, make traditional out-of-town facilities less accessible.
“The rate at which people are learning to drive is dropping off a cliff in most big cities because it’s too expensive, and the younger generation grew up in a different time where the car wasn’t as essential,” Wilson observes.
Pocket Storage’s approach reflects broader changes improving the self-storage industry. By combining central locations, automated operations, and transparent pricing with comprehensive platforms, companies like Pocket Storage are addressing long-standing pain points and creating operational efficiencies.
The success of this model could accelerate technology adoption across the broader industry, potentially improving how storage facilities are located, operated, and accessed. For urban residents facing shrinking living spaces and rising housing costs, these innovations promise more convenient and accessible storage solutions.
As Wilson prepares to test his thesis with the Bermondsey launch, the industry will be watching to see whether technology-driven, ultra-urban storage can capture market share from traditional operators and establish a new standard for customer experience in this evolving sector.
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