FAQ.

Why should I use Stowga?

Stowga is the simplest, quickest and most transparent way of finding a warehouse in the UK or anywhere in the world. Anyone who has ever tried to look for a warehouse before will know how long it takes. There is no central database of warehouses to search and when you do find one there is no way of telling what’s a good one or not. Pricing is opaque and everyone quotes differently making it impossible to compare apples with apples. Finally you will probably need to call up individual warehouses to check if they offer specialist facilities like chilled storage, and grey space is not typically listed publicly, making it difficult to find.

Stowga allows you to search online the most comprehensive database of warehouses that exists anywhere in the world. We allow you to compare warehouses on location, size, rating, services, facilities and dozens of other variables. In doing so we ensure we match you with the best partner for your business and by going to an online marketplace you know you are getting a fair and competitive price.

The Stowga marketplace connects businesses that need additional flexible warehousing services with suppliers that meet their chosen requirements. The search interface allows customers to identify the most appropriate site, view service offerings as well as price indications for handling and storage, then connect directly with the provider to discuss specifics and agree on a transaction.

But the main aim is to add new operational functionality to the marketplace that ushers in the era of fully flexible and efficient logistics services for customers worldwide. What this means in real terms is a streamlined Control Tower type functionality with an intuitive dashboard and collaborative end-to-end fulfilment tools for customers to optimise operational efficiency and control costs, whilst maximising Customer Service delivery.

What are the advantages of Stowga’s flexible model?

Flexible warehousing has two key advantages: operational and financial.

By switching to Stowga’s flexible model customers are able to rethink their supply chain. You can dial up or down your warehousing needs inline with your business needs - whether that be a seasonal spike or reacting to an emergency. Our goal is to allow our customers to have their goods stored in the right place, at the right time, for the right price. Inventory no longer needs to be constrained by the confines of a single site - it can be distributed across multiple warehouses, all managed through one platform.

In financial terms, our model turns the fixed long-term cost of a lease into a short-term variable cost. This has huge advantages for businesses read more about that here.

How do I find a warehouse using Stowga?

As a customer you can use the Stowga Marketplace functionality to search for the most appropriate warehouse using our filters and map. Once you’ve found the most appropriate site, you can connect directly with them and discuss the specifics of your requirement, get pricing on a range of additional services and confirm a warehousing contract.

Is there a minimum requirement to use Stowga?

We are a B2B business and to use the platform you must have a registered company and email address. We do not offer storage contracts aimed at individuals. There is no minimum size of enquiry but pricing will be more competitive for larger enquiries.

How does the pricing work?

The Stowga platform is completely free for customers to use. We make our money from warehouses who pay us for marketing their sites.

Is there a cost advantage to using Stowga?

By connecting with the largest database of warehousing space and services you ensure you get the most competitive price for your particular enquiry. A significant proportion of our supply is empty warehousing capacity from retailers which are exclusive to Stowga and unavailable anywhere else.

Stowga also saves a huge amount of time, and time is money. To rent a warehouse the process used to take on average six to twelve months to negotiate a lease, depending on the size of the warehouse. With Stowga we have examples of customers coming to us for the first time and actually moving into a warehouse in under 48 hours.

Learn more about optimising your supply chain, here.

How it my customer rating calculated?

The customer rating is driven by the number of reservations that are made without a contract and using feedback from the suppliers that you have connected with. Persistent negative feedback or misuse of the platform will lead to poor customers ratings, which will make it harder to book space, and in a worst case scenario being excluded from the Stowga Marketplace.

Do I have to sign a lease?

No. We allow customers to access warehousing services on a flexible basis and without the long-term commitment or obligations created by leases. Our default legal contract is a service level agreement which can be in place for as long or as little time as needed.

Do you offer temperature controlled warehousing?

We have ambient, chilled and frozen storage sites on The Stowga Marketplace as well as sites with the ability to control specific temperature ranges and temperature controlled transport if required. Our search functionality allows you to filter for temperature controlled warehousing.

Do you offer specialist or accredited warehousing?

We have sites on the marketplace that store bulk products, hazardous products, bonded warehousing (dry and wet), pharmaceuticals and outdoor storage. A large number of our suppliers are accredited through organisations such as BRC, MHRA and other professional accreditation bodies.

Do you have any examples of recent successful transactions?

You can see a short selection of those in our case studies section.

Does Stowga provide any compensation if there is any damage?

By signing a contract through our platform you are covered under our platform liability cover, which protects you for up to £1,000/tonne in case of any damage or theft. We also work with a range of insurance providers to arrange more comprehensive and bespoke insurance for specific requirements.