A home base for
mobile service businesses

Ideas and how to set them up

Mobile hairdresser and barber stockroom

Colour, shampoo, styling products, towels, capes, dryers and spare tools kept in one place, with a desk for bookings and accounts. Buying products in bulk is cheaper when you have somewhere to keep them. A unit also gives you somewhere quiet to do your accounts and plan your rounds.

Best unit

150 sq ft · roller shutter · £65 a week or 160 sq ft · security door · £69 a week

Layout

Products on shelving sorted by brand and shade, clean and used towels in separate labelled bins, and a bench where you pack your kit bag for the day. Keep a stock list so you reorder before you run out.

Good to know

Store products in everyday quantities and keep aerosols to a sensible number. Appointments happen at clients' homes; ask us before seeing any clients in the unit.

Mobile dog grooming kit store

Grooming tables, dryers, clippers, blades, shampoos, towels and spare parts for a mobile dog groomer. Keeping spares at the unit means a broken clipper does not end your day. Spare kit at the unit is also handy when you take on a second groomer or van.

Best unit

150 sq ft · roller shutter · £65 a week or 180 sq ft · roller shutter · £78 a week

Layout

Spare tables and dryers along one wall, clipper blades and tools in drawers, shampoo stock on shelving, and a clean bench for servicing kit. Keep wet towels separate until they go home to wash. A wall chart of blade sizes and sharpening dates keeps the kit in good order.

Good to know

Grooming dogs in the unit is not allowed unless we have approved it. This is a base for storing and preparing kit, with services carried out in your van or at customers' homes.

Car valeting and detailing supplies

Cleaning products, polishes, microfibre cloths, vacuums, pressure washers and water tanks for a mobile valeter or detailer. Bulk products and spare kit stay at the unit, and the van carries only what you need. It is easier to keep products organised when the van is not doing double duty as a warehouse.

Best unit

180 sq ft · roller shutter · £78 a week

Layout

Products on low shelving in original containers, machines along one wall, cloths in labelled crates, and a bench for servicing pressure washers. Keep a clear route from the shutter to load the van.

Good to know

No vehicles can be stored or valeted in the unit. Keep products to everyday quantities and ask us before storing anything flammable or solvent-based.

Mobile nail technician and beauty therapist

Polishes, gels, lamps, files, towels, wax products and portable couches for a mobile nail or beauty business. A tidy stockroom makes it quick to pack the right kit for each client. A tidy base also makes it easier to keep on top of hygiene and stock rotation.

Best unit

150 sq ft · roller shutter · £65 a week or 160 sq ft · security door · £69 a week

Layout

Products in clear drawers by type and colour, portable couches and chairs stored upright, and a desk for bookings, ordering and social media. Keep clean linen in sealed boxes. A small labelled kit bag per treatment type makes packing for the day quick.

Good to know

Nail polish, acetone and similar products are flammable, so keep only small, everyday amounts in their original bottles. Treatments happen at clients' homes unless we have approved otherwise.

Mobile massage and sports therapy

Massage couches, bolsters, linen, oils, supports and rehab equipment for a therapist who visits clients, sports clubs and events. A unit keeps clean linen and kit organised and away from the family home. Event and club work often means carrying extra couches and kit, which the unit can hold.

Best unit

150 sq ft · roller shutter · £65 a week or 160 sq ft · security door · £69 a week

Layout

Couches standing upright in their bags, clean linen on shelving, used linen in lidded bins, and a desk for treatment notes. Keep client records locked away or on a secure device.

Good to know

Store massage oils in small bottles in everyday quantities. Client notes are personal data, so check the ICO guidance on keeping records secure.

Window cleaning round base

Water-fed poles, hoses, ladders, buckets, squeegees and filter equipment for a window cleaning round. Long poles and ladders are much easier to store in a unit than at home. The 300 sq ft unit suits a round with two vans and a small office upstairs.

Best unit

180 sq ft · roller shutter · £78 a week or 300 sq ft · two storeys with upstairs office · £130 a week

Layout

Poles and ladders in long wall racks, hoses on reels, small tools in crates by the shutter, and a bench for repairs. Keep the floor clear so you can load the van quickly in the morning. Hang a checklist by the shutter so you never leave for a round without a key piece of kit.

Good to know

Water is available in the shared facilities, but ask us before planning to fill van tanks or run a filter system at the unit.

Why our units suit mobile service businesses

• Most mobile kit is tools, towels, boxed products and small equipment: low-risk items that store well on shelving.
• 24-hour access lets you restock before an early first appointment or drop kit back after a late one.
• You can use the address on your Google Business Profile, which keeps your home address off the internet while showing customers you are a local business. Keep a simple list of what you store at the unit and what lives on the van.
• Lighting, standard single-phase electricity and Wi-Fi are already connected in every unit (there is no three-phase power), with 24-hour access, free CCTV app access covering the entrance and the area outside the units, and shared facilities.

Start-up checklist

1. Decide which unit suits your stock, machines and how you will load and unload.
2. Message us with what your business does, so we can approve the use before you commit.
3. Register your business with HMRC as a sole trader or limited company if you have not already.
4. Speak to an insurance broker about public liability, contents and stock cover, and employers' liability if you have staff.
5. Ask us whether business rates apply, and check Small Business Rate Relief on GOV.UK.
6. Plan your layout: shelving up the walls, benches near sockets, and a clear route to the door.
7. Arrange one month's rent, the deposit, photo ID and a Direct Debit mandate for move-in day.

Questions

Prices are subject to availability. Minimum rental term: one month, then one month’s notice to leave. Swap to a bigger or smaller unit any time, subject to availability. Electricity usage is charged separately at the supplier rate, with no markup. This guide is general information, not legal, insurance or tax advice.

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