Domestic and Commercial Removals and Storage Business For Sale

Business description

Established in 1995 on the back of an excellent track record of carrying antiques, this business, based in West Sussex has rapidly grown into the market leading removal company in the area, operating in both the domestic and commercial markets, dealing with light, office, house removals and storage primarily within a thirty to fifty mile radius of its Head Office. The company also offers a containerised storage facility for both the domestic and commercial sectors.

This company is a full service operator offering a complete packing, relocation and storage solution for householders and businesses alike. This is a very diverse and adaptable company, offering great technical support, logistics, scheduling, planning and consultation and can deal with every element of a removal, including heavy furniture, machinery and oversize items with its range of vehicles and suitable lifting equipment, ensuring a smooth and efficient removal. The business still offers a specialist antiques carriage service as well as a piano removal service using the latest specialist removal equipment suitable for all popular makes of piano. Every care is taken to ensure property arrives at the new location in the condition it left the last.

This business is justifiably proud of its reputation for giving great service and good value. The business provides a comprehensive, convenient and competitive service, ensuring that customers return time after time. Staff are very professional, trained, highly skilled and dedicated to customer care, offering an unrivalled service. Its varied range of sign written, fleet caters for most needs of transportation, local and national, full and part load distribution, ensuring maximum coverage and prompt, reliable delivery. And whether it’s just a few articles, an entire office or home this business offers short and long term containerised storage options offering easy and direct access to a customer’s box inside the business’s extensive warehousing.

Turnover for the financial year ending December 2007 was slightly in excess of £270,000 – split almost equally between storage and removal. With profits available to the Owner of the business of approximately £50,000 after depreciation, this represents an excellent opportunity to acquire a domestic and commercial removals and storage business with a long established track record, excellent growth and expansion prospects and a strong reputation, enjoyed among clients and competitors alike.

Property information

Location:

The business operates from several units in a small business park located on converted farmland.

Administration is housed in two offices in one unit of approximately 1,000 square feet with two further warehouse units – one of approximately 3,600 square feet containing approximately 60 timber containers and a second of approximately 6,000 square feet containing a further 110 or so timber containers. Additional storage is made up of 11 twenty foot metal containers. The timber containers are in two sizes – 275 or 390 cubic metres.

There is ample parking for all vehicles and the site offers excellent potential for expansion – additional warehousing units could be made available and there is ample room to add to the metal containers already in use.

The premises are leasehold with approximately three years remaining. Rent for the offices is £400 per month excluding VAT, the smaller storage unit £900 per month excluding VAT with the larger unit £1500 per month excluding VAT. The hardstanding area on which the metal containers are stood is £300 per month excluding VAT.

Other information

Expansion potential:

The success of the business is based on its heritage as an antiques carrier and the professionalism, experience and dedication of its staff. The workforce pride themselves on their unsurpassed customer care, reliability and flexibility, making this business the number one choice in the West Sussex area. Competitive without being the cheapest, the business has established an excellent reputation for exceeding expectations and meeting client's individual needs, ensuring that all commitments that are undertaken and promised are honoured.


The business is geographically well situated with numerous towns and villages just a few miles away and in an area packed with a high incidence of very sizeable properties. Close to major motorways this business has easy access to London, across the South East, the rest of the UK and Europe via the major air and seaports.

The storage facilities have a core loyal customer base – often arising from the removals side of the business. An average storage period is approximately 6 to 9 months, though it is estimated that approximately 25% of the current storage has been there significantly longer. With payments predominantly made by BACS, this represents excellent predictable income and a strong steady cashflow. Based as the business is on farm land – there is almost endless scope for expansion by adding more and more containers on-site. The original capacity was very swiftly exceeded – testimony to the excellent on-going relationships this company has with its customers. The income stream from this facility alone ensures the running costs are met for the overall operation whilst still leaving a contribution to the bottom line, ensuring the business has no need to chase unprofitable moves – and can cherry pick its jobs.

All staff are highly skilled and have undergone in-house training in correct lifting methods, specialist packing techniques and the correct methods of loading removal vehicles. With moving house amongst the most stressful occasions in life the staff of this company realise that politeness, helpfulness and courtesy are imperative at all times.

The fleet of specialist removal vehicles receive regular mechanical inspections and servicing. All vehicles are kept clean and are kitted out with adequate transit protection blankets, webbing and the necessary barrows and trucks. Cranes and lifting equipment can also be made available to move items to or from difficult access areas.

Competition / Market:

The business has built up an excellent advertising base and has used a variety of methods to promote its services including the Yellow Pages and Yell.com, local radio and Parish magazines. Situated on farm land, set back from the nearest main road the business has also used innovative, ambient advertising techniques to promote the storage facility in particular including signboards on the local major roads and farm sponsorship with directional signage on a tractor in a field adjacent to the major road nearby. Awareness of its services is further driven by its signwritten vehicles. The business also has a well designed and informative website that performs very well in all of the major search engines for all appropriate search terms however a high proportion of the business’s revenue is due to strong word of mouth recommendation and repeat business in the case of storage, bearing testimony to the excellent reputation it has throughout the industry.

Support & training:

The owner will provide full business familiarisation, training and handover to ensure a smooth transfer of the business.

Reasons for selling:

Having been involved with the business for over thirteen years the current Owner feels the time is right to pass it on to new Owners to build upon the excellent foundations already laid.

Contact the seller