When a business collapses, most people assume the story is finished. From experience, I’ve learned that liquidation is often where the real work begins.That was certainly the case with Boxxs.
On paper, the acquisition looked like a straightforward rescue of a storage operator that had run into financial trouble. In practice, what we stepped into was a business that needed to be rebuilt from the ground up. The process that followed was not about recovery alone, but about understanding how a modern storage operation should actually be put together.
This is the story of what we inherited, what we learned and why rebuilding properly mattered more than moving quickly.
A business already on the brink
Boxxs Self Store had been a tenant at Mill Road Industrial Estate. The business originally operated container storage in Bo’ness before relocating to Linlithgow. By early 2025, the signs of distress were clear. On 28 February, a liquidator was formally appointed.
During the administration process, the business was marketed to several parties. At the time, SRA Ventures already had activity in the storage sector. We were developing an AI-driven facility in Alloa under our Locked Self Storage brand, and we had previously sold sites to other operators. Stepping into storage directly felt logical, but buying a business out of liquidation is rarely straightforward.
Even so, we underestimated the scale of what we were taking on.
The acquisition and the first real look inside
On 28 March 2025, we acquired the business through an asset purchase. This included the intellectual property and the customer list. The containers themselves were not part of the deal, as Boxxs had been renting them from Cleveland Containers. To stabilise the operation, we purchased the containers directly from Cleveland at the same time.
Once we took control of the site, the reality became unavoidable. The business had previously been presented as around 80 percent occupied. After inspecting every unit and dealing with the underlying issues, true occupancy was closer to 40 percent.
Several containers were filled with old tyres, demolition debris and commercial waste. Some had clearly been rented using false details and then abandoned. For some individuals, it is cheaper to hire a container and disappear than to pay for legitimate disposal.
Some units were beyond recovery and had to be disposed of entirely. Others were structurally sound but contaminated, requiring full clearance and deep cleaning before they could be brought back into use.
We had not acquired a functioning storage business. We had acquired the opportunity to rebuild one.
Starting again from zero
The first step was to strip everything back.
There was no digital infrastructure worth salvaging, so we commissioned a new website from scratch. It launched in May 2025 and became the foundation for everything that followed.
We also simplified the brand. Boxxs Self Store became simply Boxxs. It was a small change on the surface, but it marked a clear break from the legacy operation and signalled a reset.
At the same time, we addressed the physical environment. A storage business depends entirely on trust and usability. We installed new CCTV, upgraded lighting, improved fencing, strengthened PIN access and addressed long-neglected maintenance issues across the yard. By the end of this phase, the site felt safe, clean and workable again.
Only then could we focus on what the business should actually offer.
Modernising the storage model
Some older containers were removed and replaced entirely. Others were restored and returned to service. This stabilised the customer base and allowed us to set a consistent operational standard.
We also began using the Linlithgow site to test Strongholds, our premium insulated modular storage units built using aerogel-enhanced construction. Strongholds provide a higher specification option without the need for traditional internal buildings. Mill Road became our live testing environment, allowing us to refine the model based on real customer behaviour.
In September 2025, we introduced Micro Yards. These combine a 20ft container with a private fenced yard and are designed for tradespeople, small contractors and ecommerce businesses that have outgrown the garage but do not need a full industrial unit. The first Micro Yard was let immediately, with several enquiries following soon after.
That response confirmed something we already suspected. When space is designed around how people actually work, demand follows.
Turning an industrial site into a community space
One of the more unexpected moments in the turnaround came on Sunday 6 July 2025. We hosted a one-day open-air exhibition by The Rebel Bear, one of Scotland’s most prolific and anonymous street artists. Large-scale works were painted directly onto containers, transforming the site into a temporary gallery. Five hundred free ice creams were handed out throughout the day.
The event attracted coverage from The Scotsman, STV and Inside Self Storage, but the most important response came from the people who turned up. Many had never visited the estate before. It changed perceptions of what an industrial space can be and allowed us to give something back to the community at a time when the business was still finding its feet.
Expanding in Linlithgow
Today, Boxxs is well into its next phase. Work is underway to double the lettable space at Mill Road Industrial Estate. Older units are being replaced with new containers, and the number of Strongholds on site is increasing as the product moves beyond testing. The expansion is scheduled for completion in Q1 2026.
This marks the point where the business moves from reset to growth.
The next step. Perth
Alongside the Linlithgow expansion, Boxxs is preparing to open its second facility on Strathtay Road in Perth. The site has a long and difficult history. The former ABP building stood derelict for almost twenty years and had suffered fire damage, water ingress, vermin infestation and structural concerns relating to asbestos and RAAC. Repair was not realistic.
When we committed to redeveloping the site, the community response was overwhelmingly positive. Residents and local professionals welcomed the removal of a long-standing eyesore. Many commented on the poor impression the building had created for years. Others noted that the Strongholds model is quiet, low impact and well suited to the area.
The Perth site will be built entirely around Strongholds. No legacy infrastructure. No inherited problems. A clean start for a location that needed one.
What the turnaround reinforced
Looking back, the rescue of Boxxs reinforced something I’ve seen repeatedly in business. Progress rarely comes from rushing to fix what is broken. It comes from taking the time to understand why it failed, resetting the fundamentals and rebuilding with intent.
Boxxs is now moving into its next phase on that basis. Not because it recovered quickly, but because it was rebuilt properly.
