Open for business: Edinburgh’s largest outdoor container storage facility plans to double in size

Covering a 1.4-acre site close to the city centre, Edinburgh Self Store is located less than a mile from Haymarket – making it handy for people living within and outside the Capital.

The facility has 100 units in place at the moment, with plans to more than double this number to 270. Each unit measures 1200 cubic feet, enough to store the equivalent of the contents of a 3-bedroom property.

The watertight containers all have anti-condensation lining offering a safe storage space for both business and domestic purposes.

Customers can drive their vehicles right up to their container and will have access 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, with the floodlit site enjoying state-of-the-art security.

Owner Neil Adam Sinclair has invested £500,000 in the new venture on Gorgie Road and believes it’s just what the city needs.

“This will help create a number of local jobs and you won’t find anything like this so close to the centre of Edinburgh,” he said.

“A lot of storage sites like this can be difficult to access but people can walk here if they want. You won’t necessarily have to rely on transport to check on your container, which is ideal with everyone wanting to be more eco-friendly.

“Whatever purpose customers require the containers for, they can be guaranteed their unit will not be shared with anyone else which hopefully gives them peace of mind as the sole key holder. It will be their own safe space, whether for the short-term or the long-term.”

Former Scotland rugby star's removal firm takes over rival

Sinclair, a former Scotland U20 rugby star who also played for London Irish, Rotherham and USA Perpignan, is delighted to add Edinburgh Self Store to the SSR portfolio which also includes Stirling Self Store, Letford Removals and Larbert Carriers.

Based in Edinburgh, the 28-year-old started out in business five years ago after retiring from the professional game.

“It’s funny looking back to 2016 when I began my removals business as basically me and a van,” he said. “The journey I’ve been on from that point has been exciting, although like everyone else there have been challenges along the way, especially in the last 18 months or so.

“When the pandemic struck I was concerned about how to keep the business running and was looking at the prospect of letting staff go. That’s when I thought about going into providing storage solutions. The removals and storage businesses dovetail nicely and I want to make the whole process as stress-free as possible for customers. As a result, I was able to retain the staff and have actually had to recruit additional staff members with things expanding - we now have 250 storage units across the company.”

READ MORE: Six-figure boost for ex-rugby player Neil Adam Sinclair’s removals and storage business

Earlier this year Sinclair completed his second takeover with the purchase of Letford Removals, with Larbert Carriers in Falkirk having been his first buy-out in August 2019.

SSR is a fully accredited member of the National Guild of Removers & Storers (NGRS).

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