October 26, 2023
If you are wondering what the benefits of storage are for start-ups, read our article on ShoeStack’s success with Len’s Self Storage.
How ShoeStack Has Benefitted From Business Storage
If you’re a sneaker enthusiast you may have heard of ShoeStack, an innovative sneaker storage and accessory company based in Edinburgh, founded in 2020.
ShoeStack’s flagship product is the ShoeStack Sneaker Box — a clear-front shoe box you can use to store your prized footwear. They also sell a range of innovative sneaker accessories created for sneakerheads by sneakerheads.
As a loyal Len’s customer, we asked the founder of ShoeStack, Bernardo Redzic, about the company's success using self storage at our Sighthill facility. If you’re a small business owner, take notes on how your company could also benefit from business storage.
A Rapid Growth Solution
Bernardo Redzic started out the same way many entrepreneurs do — housing his product at home. In fact, he initially ordered a thousand crates to his mother’s house, the equivalent of a full UPS truck!
His sneaker storage business took off right away (even in the middle of a pandemic) and he sold out within three months. Bernardo needed to order even more stock fast, but also needed somewhere to store the additional 7,000 crates he ordered, which had to be transported in a 40 ft high cube container! This is where self storage solutions came into play.
The biggest benefit of renting business self storage for ShoeStack was the ability to store extra stock quickly with their sudden growth.
“Our Len’s storage unit has benefitted us by having the extra space for all of this stock as well as being suitable for the lorry to pull in and offload all the boxes,” says Bernardo.
Distribution Made Easy
Not only did Bernardo find his Len’s storage unit useful for loading and off-loading, but also for delivery and collection of boxes.
“We started by delivering all our packages by ourselves, but there’s a Parcelforce depot right next door to Len’s Self Storage, so this was ideal for delivery. We now have an account with them and they stop by the unit every day to collect the packages,” explains Bernardo. “All the staff at Len’s Self Storage are really friendly and have been very helpful throughout by accepting deliveries for us and getting in touch if we have had any delivery or collection issues.”
Self Storage Has Multiple Uses
ShoeStack also uses its Len’s unit for other business functions including inventory storage, packaging of parcels, and dispatching of stock.
They double up their unit as a studio to take photos and videos for ShoeStack’s website, so their marketing needs are met as an added bonus. No office? No problem! ShoeStack uses its Len’s space as a meeting place for customers and other business owners too.
Cost-Saving Flexibility
When ShoeStack started out they did so in the middle of the pandemic, where there was a global shipping crisis and a container cost around £18,000 (now it is less than £3,000). This meant that Bernardo had to take a huge risk funding the business with personal savings and different business loans, so saving on costs became critical.
Having initially rented a unit that was too large, ShoeStack was able to quickly downscale the size of their storage unit thanks to the flexibility of self storage and the help of the staff at Len’s.
Subsequently, they have released new product ranges — their Sound Activated Led Shoe Storage boxes and Acrylic 360° Shoe Crates — which have resulted in the company achieving over 150% growth in total website sales in their second year!
Need Extra Space for Stock?
At Len's Self Storage, we have a solution to all your business storage needs. Whether your expanding business is running out of space or you’ve just launched an e-commerce store like ShoeStack and are struggling with stock overflow, we take care of your goods so you can take care of business.
Visit our Glasgow and Edinburgh storage facilities for business storage or call us on 0131 552 8141 / 0141 810 8580.
