More and more food, retail, and office complexes made from shipping containers have opened throughout the UK in the past few years. Organisers say they provide a stepping stone for small businesses before they move to bigger premises. Some of the sites offer city centre locations but are only temporary.
Rents for space inside converted containers are relatively cheap and sites have opened in cities including Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff, Edinburgh and York with others planned for Liverpool and Norwich. Other container communities offering low rent and more flexible leases have helped small businesses to branch out into bricks and mortar premises.
In 2011, Boxpark at Shoreditch in London was the first food and retail park made of refitted shipping containers to open in the UK and is now seeking investment for rapid growth.
Many others have followed Boxpark’s lead, including Stack in Newcastle, Crate in Loughton, Essex, Hatch in Manchester, Spark in York, Cargo in Bristol, and many others, with more appearing all the time.
Owners on these complexes maintain they are bringing people into the city and put their success down to the events that it hosts, such as live music, pet and fashion shows, as well as the mix of independent shops, bars and food outlets.
City councils have seen the benefit of these schemes, looking to do similar on land that would otherwise be standing empty.
If you’re interested in setting up your own independent retail hub or wanting to buy used and new shipping containers in the UK, then get in touch today.