How Can Shipping Containers Help Business Adapt After Coronavirus?

How businesses might adapt to a post-COVID world has become a popular topic for discussion recently, and at Budget Shipping Containers we have plenty of suggestions and expertise to advise business owners who might need to innovate with a new set up.

Here we have some suggestions of businesses we have worked with, and some we have come across in real-life and online.

Surf School equipment storage

We made this discovery while enjoying a recent visit to Croyde Bay.  As we were wandering across the sand dunes, we looked down to see a striking shipping container painted with a fantastic surf mural on the side!  We had to find out more so we tracked down the location as Surf South West.

The owners let us have a closer look and we couldn’t resist taking some snaps!  The Surf School have a smaller 10ft shipping container as a secure store for their surf equipment.  They painted it in their brand colours and added the eye-catching mural to the sides.  This shipping container is in the perfect location, just metres from the beach.

If any surf schools need a similar shipping container for storage, we would be happy to help.  We can supply a range of containers for secure storage depending on your requirements. One trip (new) containers provide more options in size and style as they can come in custom sizes such as 8ft or 10ft, we can also source them as side-opening containers and tunnel containers which provide wider or dual points of access for easier loading and unloading.  New shipping containers can also offer the best long-term value for money as they last 2-3 times longer than a used shipping container, look smarter and hold a better resale value.

Used shipping containers are also a great option for standard storage and may be a more cost-effective option if you are looking for a secure space to store equipment for your business.

All new containers come with an anti-theft lock-box as standard, or we can add a lock-box to a used container on request for an extra charge.  See our container lock-box systems.

Whilst we can’t paint an artistic mural onto the side of a shipping container, we can have it repainted in a range of RAL colours and can match to your brand colours if required.

Outdoor Gym equipment store

A few years ago, we supplied a customised high-spec shipping container to BaseFit, an outdoor exercise and fitness facility in Shoreditch, London.  The container was required as onsite storage for their fitness and exercise equipment and was fitted with additional ventilation to allow the kit to breathe whilst it was in storage. As a finishing touch, we had the container painted black to fit the BaseFit branding, and we think it looked smart!  Have a look for yourself here.

There has been a recent rise in popularity for outdoor boot camps and fitness sessions due to indoor exercise not being possible, and we think this trend might be here to stay.  If you require a storage space for your gym or sporting equipment we would be pleased to help!  We can also help football, cricket or holiday sports camps needing storage.

Bicycle repair shop

Cycling is the new way to travel and exercise!  The sport has seen a huge rise in popularity since Team GB smashed the record books at London 2012, and again whilst the country was plunged into lockdown.  As a result, demand for bikes is at an all-time high and all these bikes are going to need maintenance.  A shipping container can help in two ways: 1) as a storage facility for cycling equipment 2) as a bicycle repair shop either on your existing site or at the location of your new business.

We can provide a shipping container workshop with a wide range of conversion options including:

  • Ply or melamine lining (or any internal panelling material you need)
  • Anti-vandal doors and windows
  • Roller shutters
  • Shipping container alarms
  • Electrics
  • Safety flooring
  • Durbar flooring
  • Workbenches
  • Shelving / Racking
  • Tool storage
  • Partition walls/internal doors
  • Vents and extractor fans

For more inspiration visit our recent blog post on creating a shipping container workshop.

PPE storage

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic means that the demand for PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) like face masks and sterile gloves is showing no sign of abating.  At Budget Shipping Containers we have recently supplied shipping containers for PPE storage to several NHS trusts and hospitals.  In March we also supplied a shop front shipping container to a busy pharmacy in Wiltshire which needed an additional dispensary area to serve customers safely.

We offer priority delivery to frontline businesses and can also recommend additional storage options such as container racking systems to help keep equipment in order.  Please refer to our recent blog post for more information on shipping containers for storage of PPE.

Stock Room for your online business

Retail is expected to look quite different after the coronavirus pandemic as many high streets sadly see business closures.  Shipping containers can support retail businesses in two ways, the first is by providing a pop-up style premises for a shop which no longer requires or cannot afford a permanent unit.  Pop-up shops, coffee bars and food outlets can all be created within a converted shipping container and we have plenty of experience in this area (see our case studies section for a few examples).

The second option is a shipping container stock room for retailers who decide to take their business online and need extra space to store their goods prior to shipping.  We provide a range of shipping containers for storage (see above), and if you are concerned about condensation and protecting your stock from damp whilst it is in storage, we have several anti-condensation treatments that can be applied to your container prior to delivery.  Find more information on this here, these are particularly advantageous if you are storing fabrics, textiles, artworks or foods.

Welcome Centre / Ticket Kiosk

Visitor attractions have faced a difficult time during the coronavirus lockdown, but many are now beginning to reopen with new social distancing guidelines in place.  A shipping container ticket kiosk or welcome centre can provide an excellent facility to safely welcome visitors to an attraction if the existing set-up means that visitors are not able to safely pass through on arrival.

Back in 2017 we supplied a customised shipping container ticket office to the Warehouse Project in Manchester.  For this project we sourced a 20ft used shipping container modified with a personnel door and shipping container windows.  We can also offer additional options for a shipping container ticket kiosk including a shipping container serving hatch or even shipping container canopies to protect visitors and staff from the famously unreliable British weather.

This specific customer wants their ticket office to look like an old shipping container, but we also commonly make up smarter, neater ticket offices and serving booths from one trip (new quality) containers that offer a much smarter finish if required. We can also clad in wood for an even smarter finish if you don’t want the look and feel of a shipping container on your site.

Our team of friendly shipping container experts are on hand to discuss any requirements or answer questions about how a shipping container could help your business adapt to a new way of working.

Budgetshippingcontainers.co.uk offer the UK’s largest online range of shipping containers for sale with a nationwide network of storage and conversion yards and crane equipped delivery vehicles.

If you need a shipping container feel free to browse our online range of shipping containers for sale. You can also call us on freephone 0808 1234 215 any time 9am – 5pm weekdays and our team will be happy to discuss your requirements. Alternatively, you can use our online shipping container quote form or request a telephone callback. In both cases we aim to get back to you within 1-2 working hours (may take longer for more detailed quotes).

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