Real estate: Stockspots, the Airbnb for warehouses, comes to Eastern Europe
When owning your own property was the norm, Airbnb stood out by utilizing a successful business model based on the concept of circular economy. Airbnb is something of a global phenomenon, used by approximately 150 million people. Airbnb managed to change the hotel industry and the people’s minds, those who understood they could rely on flexibility, accommodations adapted to their individual needs, close to points of interest and working with low costs.
Using the same principle and having a mission geared towards optimizing available storage spaces, Stockspots.eu, referred to as the ‘Airbnb of warehouses’, brings together companies with available storage space in their warehouses and those that need storage solutions for a limited time and, preferably, next to a specific location.
The online platform was launched in 2017, in Holland, by the entrepreneurs Remko Been, Coen de Lange and Peter Brouwers. In 2018, Stockspots expanded in Belgium, with the help of logistic warehouses developer Montea, which became an exclusive partner for the start-up in Belgium and France. Besides its financial investment, Montea allows Stockspots access to its network and ‘know-how’ regarding the European market.
‘The most sustainable building is the one that does not have to be built’ – Jo De Wolf, Montea CEO
The concept was highly regarded by the market players and, as a result, just one month since entering the Belgian market, the platform had already listed 60 locations. Nowadays, nearly 2 years after its Holland launch and one year after its Belgium premiere, the platform lists +500 locations, having ambitious plans for the future.
‘With +500 warehouse locations in 17 countries Stockspots is already present and visible in the most attractive logistic regions of Europe. The world and logistic processes are continuously changing, at Stockspots we follow our customers and market demand, therefore in the past months we expanded our warehousing Network with Germany, Spain and UK. For the moment we are looking to extend further to Eastern Europe. Romania, Poland and Czech Republic are on the agenda for further geographical expansion. In Romania we have already 7 warehouses on-board, early adaptors like Van Moer and Europrim Shipping joined us directly as providers for the Romanian market. Our goal by 2020 is to expand our European warehousing Network with 1000 partners’, according to the Business Developer at Stockspots, Adina Rotaru.
A solution to many problems
As retailers and logistics companies want to become more agile to fulfil their clients’ expectations, the concept of ‘on-demand’ logistics spaces is becoming more and more popular in Europe.
The idea behind Stockspots is both simple and efficient: not all of the logistics operators are using their storage spaces to their full capacities. In fact, data shows that more than 30% of all storage space goes unused.
At the same time, there are companies such as retailers, manufacturers, wholesellers who need additional space for a determined period and in specific locations, for various reasons: promotional campaigns, seasonal merchandise or even an excess in production numbers.
Stockspots managed to see the potential of this opportunity, bringing forth a new ‘matchmaking’ service between supply and demand, similar to how Airbnb works, plus a couple of trade advantages. The company also handles bills, insurance policies, WMS integrated. Thanks to the online platform, customers are able to find any storage space they need, in no more than 48 hours. The data is stored safely, in one place, everything billed internally, through Stockspots, offering the possibility to handle multiple locations at the same time. The principle on which Stockspots works is simple, relying on pay-per-use through simple technologies, using a system for location management and sending documents via cloud.
‘We believe the market for logistics storage space has two entities which stand to lose: those who provide logistics services and aren’t able to use all the storage space they have and, on the other hand, manufacturers, retailers and distributors which can’t identify a durable solution for a temporary problem along with the cargo surplus from peak business times’, according to Stockspots representatives.
According to a survey by Stockspots, between 10 and 20% of all requests for logistics spaces are for temporary storage. At the same time, Stockspots answers requests made by online stores, which need up to three times the warehouse space that a traditional store would use. They also need those spaces that are near transport links and as close to the final consumer as possible.
