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Stocktaking can streamline your business processes

stocktakingStocktaking on a regular basis is essential for businesses with physical products to sell. And this is not just about making sure space is used to its optimum. There are a number of reasons why this underestimated exercise can both streamline internal processes, create a much better experience for the customer and possibly even boost future sales and profits.

Take all market forces into account

To begin with good business is all about buying in stock at the right time to meet demand so an astute manager will be aware of how seasonal and other environmental changes can affect sales. To this end, taking all market forces into account stock can be bought in to meet likely demand. However, these will always just be estimates and in order to perform a good balancing act, there needs to be a track of how much cash is paced in assets. This in turn will help cash flow.

Future orders

As much as we can generally monitor demand, year in and year out, we also have to be prepared for those unexpected large orders. The kind of order that happens for no reason but is essential for the success of the company. So overall a clear idea and understanding of what products you have in stock at any one time means you will be able to order and replace stock whenever needed.

Take shelf-life into consideration

Another benefit from regular stock-taking is you will have the capacity to recognise when stock is going to waste. All stock has a shelf-life of some sort. At one end of the scale for instance there are food products with use-by and sell-by dates; at the other end of the scale you have electrical and digital products which may become redundant very quickly due to the unceasing march and progression of technology.

Use stocktaking to enhance future campaigns

Stocktaking will not only provide informed triggers and boundaries for supply it can also act as a way of prioritising stock. Once you take specifications of stock into account you can minimise wastage and also create new systems which will encourage sales of products which may not be cutting edge anymore but still be of great use to your target market (think: the latest mobile phone upgrade; older models still well through clever marketing campaigns).

Getting your team on board

If there is more than one person committing to the exercise, make sure that each employee is working to the same process. For instance, how will stock that is made up to create a master product be counted? Everyone needs the same commitment: laziness, making estimations or assumptions can sabotage the whole exercise.

Need A Space is based in Canterbury Kent and offers self-storage facilities to the London and surrounding areas such as Faversham, Medway and Herne Bay.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A short history of the beautiful town of Faversham

faversahamTraditionally, Kent is known as the garden of England. From Dartford and the Isle of Grain in the far North to the renowned seaside resorts of Margate and Ramsgate in the south, this stunning county steeped in history and culture certainly has some of the most wonderful scenes of natural beauty. Take any road, track or route throughout Kent and you will find idyllic villages and hamlets, quaint little towns which appear to have been frozen in an earlier simpler time, and cities that are known the world over. One of those towns, which Need A Space self-storage is lucky enough to be located near – is Faversham.

Faversham is one of those gorgeous rustic towns whose architecture is reminiscent of a bygone age and its walkways seem to take you deeper into to its rich exciting history. Amazingly, Faversham was first noted as early as 811 AD in a Royal Charter. It was next mentioned in the Domesday book as being in the possession of the King – William the Conqueror. Even then it had the same kind of markets which still survive today on the main street of the town on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

This little town may be gentle in appearance, but it has seen a fair amount of battles in the past as a member of the Federation of Cinque ports. It became wealthy in the Tudor period when trading developed. The guild hall which dates back to the Elizabethan era was brought up to date during the Georgian period and is now a regular meeting place for the Faversham Town council.

The manufacture of explosives was an industry which endured for centuries. The first gunpowder factories originated in the 16th century. The industry finally left the area in the 1930s, for reasons of safety culminating in the modern Shepherd Neame brewery, serving international markets. Hops were grown locally, and hop-pickers arrived every September from London to work on the ripened crop.

As it is so closely located to London, Faversham is now considered a commuter town that offers delightful country walks, pleasant shopping areas, wonderful little café’s and tea shops and a vibrant social scene. Faversham especially pays attention to Britain’s festive days with its own unique events. Experience the National Apple Festival at time of harvest, a horror – filled event at Belmont for Halloween, the Doddington firework display on November 5th and Christmas lights and Markets The town of Faversham and it’s outlying villages are always worth a visit.

 

 

 

Essential cornerstones of business growth for SME’s

Business growth has to be a goal for all organisations. The form that growth takes will be different for each company. Some businesses will be looking for a greater share of the market, others will be wanting to streamline processes, others will want to break into new markets, and others still want to either introduce new products, enhance their primary product or add variations to a popular original.

Where will your business focus be?

Whatever direction you are taking, be careful not to lose sight of the factors that placed the business in a winning position: such as the usp; the loyal target market; don’t lose the quality for the sake of cheaper production. For instance, the small local pub that does well from a local clienteelle and then adds the facility of a restaurant may well be adding an extra dynamic to it’s services, but as well as losing that personal touch it may also be entering an arena where substantially different skills are needed and where there is heavy competition.

More growth, more space

Even horizontal growth needs to be thoroughly thought through. For example, as companies become successful there is a greater onus on space. Not only for stock but also staff. The latter will need to be able to deal with an increase in orders and equipment may be needed to back up the processes. More space calls for more property which in itself calls for more staff and equipment. Old top down leadership models can become fragmented and more difficult to monitor so there is also a need for refined processes. (on a small-scale business considering storage expansion can use self-storage units before looking to buying new premises).

Always keep your customer needs central to future growth

Before making any decision about growth direction, a business should strongly consider their customer base and future customer retention. After all, it is customer loyalty (their target market) which has bolstered success. If considering a new market, bear in mind that it can be 20 times more expensive than working on existing accounts. And remember that your greatest asset is your labour force. If growth will mean diluting working relationships, consider how that may affect future processes.

In the same way, growth does not just have to be about the product itself. Start with the customer and consider how your organisation can enhance the customer experience. You may be in a place where you can enhance products, provide a greater product variety or step into a slightly different market, but at the end of the day, if it does not enrich your client base you could be on sticky ground. Factors such as help and support which to some may just seem to be expensive add-ons, can be the kind of triggers that not only keep your customers coming back but are fundamental to real growth in the future.

Need A Space is based in Canterbury Kent and offers self-storage facilities to the London and surrounding areas such as Faversham, Medway and Herne Bay. for a quote see our homepage or call us on 01227 260500

Why self-storage is so popular in the 21st century

self-storageIt is a hard to remember a time without the huge benefits of self-storage. Self-storage units are dotted across our landscapes in the UK; they help us when we are moving home; they support us when storing our valuables temporarily; they help businesses deal with space growth and space creation -cutting budgets and streamlining processes. Why have they become more popular than ever in this new millennium?

Self-storage – a brief history

Self -storage like so many things in recent years found its way from across the pond because it all started – no surprise – in the United states of America. The USA saw its first units appear as early as the 1960’s but the UK did not see it’s first self-storage units until the 1980’s. The rest as they say is history. There are more than 1000 facilities across the country which equates to approximately 37.6 million square feet of rentable space. Clearly a booming industry, but you have to look to the environment and current culture to get an idea as to why it is thriving so much.

Relationships are more unstable

Unfortunately, in many ways some would say our relationships are much more unstable than they were just 50 years ago. Due to liberal ideals, sacred rituals such as marriage happen faster and easier. In the same way, the Christian religion accepts divorce much more easily and it has become acceptable to the point where sadly it is commonplace. Where once it was a scandal now it is just seen as one of life’s many hurdles. With this environment, people are much more transient. With movement there is a need to store valuables until you can find a more permanent location.

People living longer

With advances in medical science we are becoming an aging society. Whereas in the 1930’s you could expect to live for a couple of years after you have retired, now you can look forward to living for a further 2 decades. Older couples are more likely to be moving on from the large family home and downsizing. With no place to store their nostalgia in the new smaller home they look to self-storage to hold onto precious memories.

Individuals are more transient

Even as late as the early 20th century individuals and families hardly left their own town or village.  the 21st century travelling to other side of the world can be organised almost at the push of a button. Travelling long distances to commute or live temporarily is as much a part of everyday life as the sun in the sky. Hence people need self-storage to cater for those times when they are on the road. For instance, the student who lives far from home can find self-storage essential when studying away, and returning home during term holidays.

Small business is supported where possible by government in the UK and so new SME’s, especially over the last twenty years are thriving. Self-storage can assist organisations where there is restricted space and so can streamline in-house procedures and enhance business growth.

Perhaps the biggest factor for the continuous growth of the self-storage industry is people are more aware that it is there and what it is for. Let’s face it – space (that is earthly space) has never been that interesting. Now its like the grocers on the high street. Pop in and see us to find out what services we offer at Need A Space self-storage in Faversham. Contact us on 01227 751673 or fill in our website contact form. We look forward to hearing from you!

 

Moving home? Check out our top tips!

moving homeAt Need A Space we can help you with all the practical help that you could possibly need. From a removals van to self-storage and from storage materials to the very best in security, our aim is to make the complex task of moving home just about as easy as it can get. However, because relocating can be so complex and stressful we have also come up with our own little shortlist of essential tips to help that big move run a little smoother:

  1. Don’t forget to re-direct your post. It will give you peace of mind that you will receive all your important mail and take the frustration away from the people who are moving into your old home.
  2. Label all boxes with contents each contains and which room they will be going to in your new home
  3. Keep all fixtures and fittings from larger furniture in one place – again clearly labelled
  4. When you learn your council tax band you may get a shock. But don’t despair, statistics show that over 400,000 homes have been wrongly categorised. So check it out at the valuation office agency
  5. Give yourself time at the end of the moving out day to say goodbye to your old home – it could be quite emotional.
  6. Start packing early. Once you have a date for moving, schedule how you will deal with each room, leaving the most used rooms of course to the end.
  7. Start getting to know the environment you will be moving to before you move. Check out where you will find your creature comforts, speak with the community if you can, find out energy suppliers, where important elements like fuse-boxes and stopcocks are etc.
  8. Get an idea of storage space when choosing your home. Not the most exciting factor, but it could save you a whole lot of headaches in the future.
  9. Trying to visualise how all your valuables will go into your new home can be difficult and if you are downsizing you may be left with too little room. Check out the self-storage provision in your area to ease the pressure until you are settled.
  10. Be realistic about how the move could uproot you and your family psychologically. You will want to get back to routine as soon as possible but don’t go too fast – it’s a big change.
  11. So many people to tell about your big change. So many things to do. As you get nearer to the big move day make lists of the essential tasks which need to be done.
  12. Don’t expect to move into your new home as soon as you get there. Sometimes the estate agent will not hand over the keys until monies have been exchanged – and this will be dependant upon where you are in the chain.
  13. It is courteous to leave your old home clean and tidy for the new occupants. So leave time at the end of moving out to give the house a clean. This could be a mammoth job and it is sometimes a good idea to hire a cleaner or cleaning company.
  14. Find out when you will need to leave the property as you will need to deactivate your white goods (i.e. defrost the freezer; de-plumb the washing machine etc)
  15. Create a box for essentials that will be with you on the day of the move. This could include address and contact book; first aid kit; torch; chargers; mobile; snacks; drinks; keys; moving documents etc)
  16. Because moving home can be expensive there may be a tendency to buy cheaper accessories (i.e. cardboard boxes), but always use quality materials – you want to get your precious valuables there in one piece.
  17. Don’t be tempted to overfill boxes. If the box breaks so do your valuables. Also, you need to pick up the box once it is filled!
  18. Check your house contents insurance will cover your valuables during the move.
  19. Consider beforehand how you will deal with laundry. Make a cut off date for the last wash so everything transported is dry and you and your family will have enough clothes over the moving period.
  20. Keep a track of important documents by categorising them and storing them in the same containers such as labelled box files.

To learn more about Need A Space services click here

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archive business documents cheaply and safely

archive

Electronic communications has made the need for paperwork in the office almost redundant. This is great news for networking and instantaneous contact. It also means that those piles of documents you are not going to get around to read anyway, can be kept quite neatly in hyperspace. However, there is some paperwork you just need to have in hard format: legal documents, tax and accountancy paperwork, contracts, manuals and guarantees just to name but a few. As your business grows you want to expand but you are no doubt seeing the amount of space physically reduce in front of your eyes as all those official documents that ought to be archived get in the way of daily work processes. Time to put a stop to that with self-storage.

Self-storage in Kent

Keeping documents that can be archived in the office where you work could lead to chaos, insecurity and inefficient business processes. If there is insufficient storage within your organisation you may want to consider self-storage facilities in your area. Here at Need A Space in Canterbury Kent we offer storage space for both business and domestic needs. But what is the best way to store those infuriating but precious pieces of paper?

Top tips for archiving your documents

  • Store for easy access: Some documents will need simply for legislative reasons (I.e. for tax purposes you need to hold on to business account information for 5 years) but there will be some documents that you may need to find for current activities. Load these boxes last so they are stored at the front and easy for access.
  • Protect against long term damage: Mould can grow quickly and cause damage. Keeping things dry from the start is the best way to avoid damage so whichever self-storage provider you use, ensure the unit will be dry.
  • Security: Check with your self-storage provider to find out what security provisions are in place. Many business documents and records are confidential and need to be private. Need A Space offer CCTV, a perimeter fence, high-security infra-red beams and state of the art alarm systems.
  • Label boxes.As well as easy access you need to know where each and every document is. So however short of time you may be, have a clear labelling system.
  • Office filing system: It is often useful to use an office filing system twinned with the labelling system you use at the self – storage outlet. For instance, labelling a box by a number and then put the relevant details on an excel sheet which is easily accessible in the office.
  • Be cost effective: Always find a self-storage unit close to your office for obvious reasons, but in some cases (especially with documents which need to be archived for long periods and do not necessarily need frequent access) consider storing outside of your location. For instance, London prices are high, but by storing down here in Kent you could make quite a saving.

 

Based in the heart of Kent, and situated on the outskirts of Faversham and Canterbury, Need A Space is conveniently located for both local county and South London clients. Looking for storage space in Faversham Canterbury or Herne Bay? To learn more about how Need A Space self-storage can help businesses in Kent and the London area click here

 

 

 

 

 

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