News | Self Storage Blog

Big Yellow Announces Partnership With DX Business Direct

Friday, August 27th, 2010

We’ve just inked a national deal with DX Business Direct who are a leading independent mail, courier and secure logistics company. The deal will see DX Business Direct place dedicated ParcelXchange depots in 18 of our Big Yellow Self Storage store forecourts across the country.

ParcelXchange offer a series of intelligent lockers with built in track-and-trace functions which enable businesses to dispatch parts nationwide for engineer collection via an overnight delivery service. The service can reduce distribution costs, improve stock control and increase engineer efficiency. The lockers on Big Yellow forecourts will provide 24/7 access to the virtual depot and a state of the art security system with pin code entry.

The role out of lockers is expected to be complete by the end of June 2011 and there is a possibility that the partnership could extend to more Big Yellow stores in the future.

Click here to take a look at what ParcelXchange can offer you.

Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, business storage, byss, ParcelXchange, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog
Posted in News | 1052Comments2010-08-27+09%3A32%3A53Big+Yellow+Blogger

Armadillo Self Storage Finds The Perfect Storage Solution For RSPCA Peterborough

Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

Our Armadillo store in Peterborough has come to the rescue of a very deserving local RSPCA charity shop as it closes its doors for the last time. There is a new shop opening in the near future, but until then staff need to store their stock. In anticipation of the new shop opening, Armadillo Self Storage has donated free storage space for three months to help out.

As a result, the RSCPA shop doesn’t have to spend money on storage and can instead channel those funds straight back into helping animals in the Greater Peterborough area that have sadly been abandoned or neglected.

Visit RSPCA Peterborough for further information on volunteering and fundraising opportunities.

Posted in Charities, News | 1049Comments2010-08-25+12%3A00%3A39Big+Yellow+Blogger

Big Yellow Self Storage Reading Helps The Pottinger Family After Lorry Smash

Thursday, July 29th, 2010

Our Reading store has come to the aid of the Pottinger family after they were left devastated when a runaway lorry crashed into their house. The chaos started when a lorry rolled down the road hitting a lamp post and a car along the way before crashing into their home leaving a trail of destruction.

The damage to the house has meant the family will have to move out for up to 3 months into temporary accommodation. To help move the family’s belongings, our staff have been to see the family to donate boxes and help them pack up their items. Daniel Robinson from our Reading branch was quoted in the local newspaper, “We are a local business and are always looking for ways to help our community.

“After having read the article [in the Reading Post newspaper] we really felt for this family and wanted to be of assistance, so provided them with a supply of free boxes to help get them sorted.”

The Pottinger family home has been severely damaged as it was shunted backwards with the kitchen partly moved through the wall into the living room, the downstairs toilet has been crushed and the flooring at the back of the living room has come away from the wall.

It is thought the driver of the 18-tonne lorry left the handbrake off or knocked it as he got out of the vehicle to visit nearby offices. Luckily no-one was in the house at the time as the only person inside had left minutes before truck hit.

Sarah Bishton, spokeswoman for Reading Borough Council, said: “We are putting the family in alternative, suitable accommodation while the necessary work takes place to make the property safe and secure.”

Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, byss, personal storage, Reading, self storage, self storage blog, storage solution
Posted in News | 996Comments2010-07-29+12%3A23%3A17Big+Yellow+Blogger

The Big Yellow Armadillos Take On London To Brighton (Part.2)

Friday, July 16th, 2010

As we got closer to Brighton, we noticed there were lots of families on the streets all cheering and giving out much needed energy supplies to keep everyone going! The support was fantastic, the people that lined the streets probably didn’t know it but they helped so many people throughout the day.

Everyone was dreading the final point and they all knew it would come….Ditchling Beacon! We all had heard about it but none of them really expected what was about to come. Ditchling Beacon is a brutal mile long climb to the top of the South Downs that starts at mile 47, everything else compared to this was easy. The hill was so steep that many of the riders had to get off their bikes and push them to the top simply focusing on putting one foot ahead of the other. We were amazed to see people still cycling, trying to make it to the top!

Finally there was a man shouting over the microphone “that’s it you’ve made it, you are about to reach the top of Ditchling Beacon, you are now 234 metres above sea level”. We stopped at the top for a minute to look at the views which were amazing and so beautiful. After the agony of the Beacon the last 6 miles were a joy as the sea came into view and riders flew down the hill reaching speeds of 38mph.

After a final crawl through Brighton traffic the riders made their way down to Brighton Pier and all anyone could hear were the cheers of thousands of people. Finally the Finish Line was in sight, a sprint along the seafront brought to an end to epic ride.

In total over 30,000 riders took part on the day, setting off from Clapham at different times from 6am to 10am for the worthy causes of Cancer Research and the British Heart Foundation. In total staff members have raised approximately £7628 to date for Cancer Research and Big Yellow Self Storage will be matching this figure to boost donations.

A massive thank you goes to Paul Holmes for all his hard work in organising the team! We all had a fantastic time!

Tags: armadillo self storage, bicycle storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, storage, storage solution, UK storage
Posted in News | 963Comments2010-07-16+08%3A46%3A42Big+Yellow+Blogger

The Big Yellow Armadillos Take On London To Brighton (Part.1)

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010

The annual London to Brighton bike ride on the south coast is a hugely popular event with almost 30,000 cyclists taking part and raising money for a very worthy cause. Riders begin their 54 mile journey in Clapham Common with many aiming to reach the seafront in just six hours. Cyclists range from keen enthusiasts to those taking part with friends and family in memory of people they had lost.

Our very own Big Yellow Armadillos cycling team took part. Made up from staff from stores nationwide, who raced down to Brighton weaving through Surrey and over the hills of West Sussex on Sunday 24th June to raise funds for Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation.

Join three of our riders, Jimmy Gibson, Patsy Loomes and Ardan Carter as they take on the London to Brighton below.

The sun rose over the Balham store at 7am to find 37 members of the Big Yellow Armadillos cycling team preparing for the 54 miles that was ahead of them, for the annual London to Brighton. Everyone was equipped with their yellow jerseys and numbers pinned to their shirts. The cold early morning air and warm up cycle soon had everyone awake and after a brief pause for the ‘before’ photo the team streamed from the store, as a river of yellow shirts made their way to the starting line.

As we set off on the journey to Brighton everyone was amazed to see so many riders, there were literally thousands of people riding through the streets of London. The early stages were relatively hill free and entirely painless; this perhaps set a false tone for what was to follow.

Weaving through the streets of South London eventually giving way to the leafier suburbs of Surrey the team encountered their first hill at which point the entire field promptly got off and walked! The bottle neck of bikes and riders clogged our path, whilst frustrating it gave us an opportunity for everyone to have a snack and ensured that nobody exerted themselves too much too soon.

We’d been cycling for what seemed like hours and the field began to start opening up along the roads with the Big Yellow shirts becoming a rarer and rarer sight. Some even started to think they had surely clocked up enough miles that they would be almost at Brighton by now. Their optimism was soon gone as we saw a lady on route and she cheered ‘well done, keep going your almost half way’! There was another 30 miles still to go!!!

Tags: armadillo self storage, bicycle storage, big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, brighton, byss, Charity, london, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog
Posted in News | 954Comments2010-07-14+10%3A33%3A10Big+Yellow+Blogger

Big Yellow Self Storage Opens In High Wycombe

Friday, July 9th, 2010

We’re happy to announce that we have opened our new High Wycombe branch. The new store boasts some innovative eco conscious features to protect and enhance the local environment while providing great self storage facilities for our customers.

We’ve installed a Green roof and timber cladding on the outside of the building that backs onto the River Wye. Already, Mallard ducks have decided to make a home in our new back garden ecosystem.

The Green roof adds extra insulation to the top floor storage area and acts as protection from seasonal fluctuations in temperature and reduces heat reflection back into the atmosphere, which would have been reflected by 100% if it were metal. These contributions of green space ‘help reduce the urban heat island effect’ where some large urban areas may have average temperatures 1 degree centigrade above the surrounding countryside.

By retaining rainfall through the Green roof we can slow down the accumulation of water at ground level, further contributing to the cooling effects from evaporation and vastly reduce the risk of local flooding.

The river bank area around the store has been selectively cleared to give a variety of other plant species an opportunity to thrive and enhance bio-diversity in wildlife and habitat. Nesting boxes have been added to some mature trees and wood piles have been prepared to aid wildlife find habitat in the future.

We’ve also created a front façade to our store with a landscaped area featuring a row of Silver Birch saplings, a variety of shrubs and extensive lawn providing a natural buffer between the busy road an our reception parking area.

To book and reserve online at any of our stores visit us at http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/store/High_Wycombe

Reception opening hours

Monday to Friday: 8am – 6pm
Saturday: 9am – 6pm
Sunday: 10am – 2pm

Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, boxes, byss, clutter, de-clutter, declutter, eco, furniture storage, High Wycombe, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog
Posted in News | 948Comments2010-07-09+10%3A59%3A51Big+Yellow+Blogger

We’ve Launched A New iPhone App: The Big Yellow Space Kit

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

…A toolkit that sits in your back pocket – not the garage.

As part of our ongoing commitment to help the nation make the most of their space – we’ve launched an iPhone application packed with tools to help people at home, at work, or even at one of our stores.

The Big Yellow Space Kit is full of easy-to-use tools with everything from a Floor Planner that lets users try out different room designs on the go to see if things fit, to a Box Archiver that allows users to list their items so they know exactly where they are perfect for those moving home or using self storage.

The Big Yellow Space Kit is available to download for FREE from the Apple App Store now here.

View the Big Yellow Space Kit screen cast to view all the tools in action here.

The Big Yellow Space Kit offers:

Box Archiver

• Photograph and list your items so you know exactly where they are.
• An easy way to identify the contents of every box – whether you’re storing items at home, in a Big Yellow storage room, or even moving house.

Floor Planner

• Helps you layout and plan a room to see if things fit.
• Great for moving house, re-designing a room or even seeing if the furniture in the shop will fit in your home.

Paint Calculator

• Helps you plan how much paint you’ll need to redecorate.
• Helps you save time and money – and could mean one less trip to the shops.

Unit Converter

• Inches, centimetres, yards or feet – instantly convert any measurement into any other way you prefer to work in.

Store Locator

• A quick and easy way to find your nearest Big Yellow store, opening times and contact details.

The brand new Big Yellow Space Kit app is available to download for FREE from the Apple App Store here.

Posted in Features, News | 931Comments2010-06-29+16%3A15%3A20Big+Yellow+Blogger

St Luke’s Hospice Get Glammed Up For Ladies Day

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Armadillo Self Storage Sheffield Parkway’s charity partner is St Luke’s Hospice is organising one of the most glamorous events in their calendar as the annual St Luke’s Ladies Day returns to Owlerton Stadium on 29th June.

All the members of staff at the hospice provide a vitally important service to the patients and their families. To help them with their storage needs, we’ve recently donated storage space worth £2,000 to the hospice which is a very deserving cause.

Ladies Day is an evening of glamour and excitement, St Luke’s Hospice will be looking for the night’s most stylish dresser with a great prize to the winner. It’s sure to be a great night for everyone involved!

For only £30 a head you can enjoy a Bucks Fizz reception, a three course meal in the famous Owlerton restaurant and a race card.

If you’re in the Sheffield area, you won’t want to miss this. Pick up your ticket by calling Owlerton Stadium on 0114 234 3074 or visit owlertonstadium.co.uk

Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, UK storage
Posted in News | 875Comments2010-06-01+07%3A30%3A08Big+Yellow+Blogger

Introducing Big Yellow Self Storage’s New Malden Footie Team, The Omen!

Friday, May 28th, 2010

Big Yellow Self Storage’s New Malden branch 5 a-side football team, The Omen, have been tearing it up on the field. The team gained promotion in their very first season and were crowned league champions in their second season! Today we’ve brought you a little update about from our lads in Yellow on their recent season.

Building on the success of the past two seasons, The Omen would have been satisfied with survival in their new league. However, they won the first 10 games of season, The Omen were sitting pretty at the top of the league table without being challenged. This was until they faced PV who had dropped down two divisions and had all the skills. The end result was PV – 7, The Omen – 2. PV were fantastic and it was The Omen’s worst performance of the season but the lads from New Malden bounced back strongly the following week with a 3-0 win.

For the final game of the season, The Omen walked confidently out onto the pitch knowing that a win would mean they would be champions. The Omen were playing the best they had all season with every trick coming off and the finishing was perfect. The end score was 9-1 meaning they were CHAMPIONS.

An incredible achievement to the team after two league wins and three promotions in a row!
Well done to the Big Yellow team; Nick O’Sullivan, Drew Willis, Simon King, Ollie Stone and Mark Skrzypczak.

Also to those that helped out during the previous seasons; Steven Heather, Stephen Corry, Darren Taylor, Matty Aldridge and Aaron Leggatt.

Tags: big yellow, Big Yellow Self Storage, byss, football, New Malden, personal storage, self storage, self storage blog, storage
Posted in News | 872Comments2010-05-28+07%3A30%3A53Big+Yellow+Blogger

We Support Read International!

Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Big Yellow Self Storage has been happy to give a helping hand to Read International, a fantastic charity and the UK’s one-stop-shop for book donations. They have crafted a hugely inspiring network of students who volunteer at 45 universities across Britain accepting any disused books from anyone and everyone and then ship these to Tanzania and Uganda. These much needed donations give kids in these countries the chance to benefit from books that their schools could never usually afford.

Over 564,000 books have been shipped to date, a great success for them! Because they’re so successful in their donation drives that they acquire a large amount of books before they’re all ready for shipping without having the facilities to store them all. This is where we have been able to help with the cause as we’ve donated space where Read International can house these, sort them and get them ready for shipping. We’re delighted to work with Read International and help them with their great achievements.

To find out how you can get active with READ International or donate books to the project please visit their Facebook group.

Recently our Norwich & Edinburgh branches helped Read International deliver a vast stock of books, view the images in our slide show below.