Woodpecker's unique backstory

Looking around the Woodpecker Self Storage facility on the Crescent Industrial Estate in Nursling, Hampshire, it would be difficult to imagine what a state the area was in before our team took over.

With pristine self-storage containers sitting on solid level footings, we performed extensive groundworks to get the site just right before installing our unique storage solutions.

We drew on expert help from WILLBOX Ltd, our sister company, for the container supply and converted container toppers, and multi door units. Our own in-house design team planned and fabricated all of our converted container units, along with the bespoke toilet and shower facilities and Woodpecker office, using our own WBXU branded containers.

Opened in Feb 2021, we are so proud of what we have achieved in such a short time to transform the previously uneven and rough site it once was. We started from the ground up, building solid foundations by levelling the whole site and laying new concrete pads for the storage units to site on.

We have installed new self-storage-grade containers with 14 vents for effective air circulation, easy open doors, and dark easy clean floors. The whole site has been cladded in timber fencing to give the site a much brighter looking appearance from the outside.

Carbon neutral goals

Right from the outset, we wanted Woodpecker Self Storage to be different from the run-of-the-mill self-storage facilities offered by other providers.

Firstly, we wanted to create a business that emphasises being carbon neutral. We went back to the drawing board to design a site that incorporated electric vehicle charging points and utilised solar roof panels to capture green energy.

We wanted to move away from the traditional approach adopted by conventional storage companies and put more focus on developing our storage containers, security, safe access, site monitoring etc.

We took advice from Dave Davies at Double D Consulting on our business plan and sales and marketing strategy. He has helped us stand out from the crowd and offer our customers something that aligns perfectly with their needs and what they expect from a modern, secure self-storage company.

We operate a paper-free system where all contracts are raised online, which means no paperwork needs to be printed. Going paper-free also helps reduce the running costs of our business, which means we can pass on more of these savings to our customers and help reduce our carbon footprint.

24/7 customer access with strict security

These days what is top of the list with self-storage customers is security. They want to know that their valuable possessions and irreplaceable items will not be put at risk by being stored away from their home.

With our customer's safety concerns in mind, we installed cutting-edge security measures on our site, including fully monitored CCTV with motion sensors, infrared night vision cameras, automatic number plate recognition, and a tannoy system.

We want our customers to feel personally safe and secure while on-site, so we operate security coded gates with personalised PINs that allow customers the freedom of 24/7 access without worrying about the site being open to the general public.

The site is mostly unmanned, but it has a fully online live monitoring system with regular in-person security checks to ensure the place is safe, which is very reassuring for our customers. Each customer is given a welcome pack that includes an emergency number to call if needed, as well biodegradable goodies!

Customer satisfaction is our No:1 goal

We were delighted to discover that our first customer was someone who was moving back to the UK from the USA. As it turned out, our first customer was actually a familiar face – a previous employee from the 1970s!

Jacqueline worked for Williams Shipping (Woodpecker's parent group) back in the early 70s, and we were the first people she thought about when planning her international move back to the UK from the USA in 2021.

You can read more about Jacqueline's story on our blog and how she chose us to help with her relocation because of her positive previous experience working with our family business.

Jacqueline has been delighted with our service, and we are thrilled that she chose Woodpecker Self Storage. We aim to deliver an outstanding service to our customers and honestly believe that Jacqueline would have been completely honest with us had she found anything lacking in our delivery.

We feel that by following modern trends in self-storage where customers want to go contactless with 24/7 secure access, it will be more convenient for them to use our self-storage facilities than to go with more traditional service providers that operate restrictive opening hours.

You can quickly get a quote with Woodpecker Self Storage online, or you can email us at hello@woodpeckerselfstorage.co.uk or give our friendly team a call on: 0808 281 3333.

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