Two Men and a Truck: Seasonality in the Removals Market
It might be unsurprising that Spring and Summer are the ‘Hot Seasons’ for house moves in the UK regarding house purchases. This trend is true whether we are in a boom or bust situation regarding house prices and obviously impacts on support service industries such as removals.
Winds of Change
When considering the overall removals market however, we also have to remember that we are moving to being a nation of renters. In the ten years to 2015, the number of households living in the private rental sector in England alone has doubled from 2.2 million to 4.4 million*.
For the removals market these figures are important because as more families rely on rented accommodation their needs when moving properties will have an impact on demand for removals services. And with two thirds of renters staying in a property for less than 3 years* it is easy to see opportunities for removals companies through this repeat business. And whilst rental moves do somewhat follow the house purchase ‘seasons’, the shift is less dramatic between the seasons which helps to spread the work across the year.
New Opportunities
The increase in the number of people renting may also account for the rise in self-storage market over recent years, with individuals and families looking for storage options which may increase the choice of properties, taking a smaller property with less space but utilising self-storage for their less used or seasonal possessions.
Diverse Opportunities
Business moves don’t tend to be influenced as much by the seasons as residential moves. A Companies reasons for moving, more space, lower costs or a specific location, together with the logistics involved in arranging and managing everything to do with the move mean are more important than the time of year.
Seasonality in their own market would also play a part in the timing of their moving plans. The TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® model is designed to adapt to and take advantage of all of these factors. And whilst the accounts of our franchisees reflect the seasonality of the market, our business model works to control the costs and the multiple revenue streams minimise the impact.
*Citizens Advice and New Policy Institute Report ‘A Nation of Renters’ – May 2015
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