We are very proud to have joined the charge to drive standards in self storage with our adoption of the industry’s ‘Tick Box. Keep it Real. Keep it Legal’ code of practice, as we rapidly grow with the launch of 13 new sites.
We have been accredited by the industry’s most prominent campaign, which was established by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) in partnership with National Trading Standards and the Self Storage Association UK (SSAUK).
Through our involvement, we will now work with other members of the Tick Box initiative to crack down on criminals using self-storage facilities to store counterfeit or illicit goods.
Tick Box launched in 2021 to prevent fraudulent use of self storage facilities, ensure fair trading in the industry and protect the growing number of consumers using self storage.
Our accreditation by the initiative comes at a time of significant growth for our business, which has recently seen us undertake over 200% growth, adding 13 new sites to our nationwide portfolio in response to increased demand for self storage.
Our containers are 1200 cubic feet in size and accommodate approximately 240 medium-sized boxes. We are a wholly owned subsidiary of property company, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), which sees all our units situated close to local communities or highly-commutable industrial estates to make the process as convenient as possible.
Tim Knowles Founder and Managing Director of FIREM commented: “Over the past two years, over £15m of illegal goods have been seized from self storage facilities, a huge challenge that we are committed to combating in partnership with the Tick Box initiative. For us, being recognised by the campaign is a mark of the high standards we set for our customers and demonstrates the quality of service we will continue to offer as Cuboid grows.
“The self storage industry is expected to exceed £1bn this year. Cuboid has access to 15m sq ft of sites around the country and access to 6.5m sq ft of newbuild sites from its parent company FI Real Estate Management Limited which gives it a unique advantage and ensures that this demand is met with high quality storage space in well connected locations across our portfolio. As Cuboid grows, alongside FIREM’s wider UK portfolio, we welcome partnership initiatives such as the Tick Box code of practice to help elevate the standards of the vital self storage industry.”
Marcus Evans, Deputy Director of Enforcement at Intellectual property Office said:
“The illegal trade in counterfeits creates real social and environmental harms, and criminals are known to use self storage units as part of this activity. This is anything but a victimless crime, and is known to be linked with serious and organised criminality such as people trafficking, money laundering and the illegal drug trade.
“It is estimated that the sale of counterfeit goods contributes to more than 80,000 job losses in the UK each year by diverting funds away from legitimate businesses and into the hands of criminals. This helps to sustain criminal lifestyles, as well as causing genuine harm to communities, and all those exploited during the production of such goods.
“It is positive to note that Cuboid Self Storage recognises the advantages of the ‘Tick Box. Keep it Real. We would urge all self storage providers to adopt the code of practice and gain these benefits for their business. This helps keep communities safe by sending a clear signal to deter criminals who wish to abuse these facilities, while reassuring legitimate customers that they can use them with confidence.”
.