The market for mezzanine floors has been fuelled by a recent boom in property prices.
Debby Spokes of Hi-Store says that many businesses throughout the UK are using their ‘dead’ space by investing in existing assets, rather than larger premises. She says this trend has fuelled the demand for mezzanine flooring, as it is possible to double the floor area of a building for less than half the price of investing elsewhere. “The current market has also seen a rise in the one-stop-shop culture. Large organisations are amalgamating different trading divisions to bring all their fruits together under one roof, much to the satisfaction of consumers and controllers of capital expenditure alike.”
Today’s storage solution designers and warehouse operation managers are having to get to grips with new and constantly increasing health and safety regulations that necessitate full accountability being taken for their actions. This has increased the need for more innovative design solutions, as in some circumstances, the result of an inspection can impose a business restructuring.
The advancement of planning software and computer aided design, has increased the proficiency of storage solution designers. Spokes says customers are increasingly demanding short lead times and even working 24-hour days when it is required. The trend in retailers exploiting dead space by investing in their existing assets rather than larger premises, has risen in recent years. For Hi-Store, this has meant a rapid demand for its floors both at front of house, and back of house storage.
