The British high street has been under lots of pressure over the last few years, thanks to the rise in online shopping and the cost-of-living crisis forcing people to spend less. However, it is now facing another threat – new shipping container markets.  What are shipping container markets? Most of us have become used to seeing pop-up cafes, restaurants and bars in converted shipping containers, and, as they are a popular way to target customers and save money on rent costs, whole markets made of these units are now being created. Wales’ new shopping centre This is being seen in Wales, as ..read more

Shipping containers are about versatility, and in recent years small business owners have realised that they can run practically any business in a converted container and thrive. From street food vendors to barbers, shipping containers are economical, robust and easily adapted to form an ideal workspace, and there is an inherent novelty to a converted container that means that even now they cannot help but draw attention and capture footfall. It is an unconventional space, and because of this, does require some adjustments in its approach compared to a traditional retail space, in order to max ..read more

If you are thinking of buying a converted shipping container and using it as a shop, food outlet, or bar, you will be in good company. These can now be found all over the UK, whether as novel individual outlets or in clusters. The latter has been seen in many places around the UK, like Hatch in central Manchester or Cargo on Bristol’s Wapping Wharf. However, establishing a similar project in Sheffield has proven difficult. But the failure of one venture in the city has not put off a firm that is setting up another scheme with high hopes of success. A cluster of outlets in used containers was e ..read more

Getting a shipping container could be a very valuable move, helping to elevate businesses that want to open premises to the public but do not have the capital to rent or buy a permanent space.  That is why pop-up cafes and restaurants, stores and bars can be seen in cities all over the UK these days, giving upcoming enterprises the opportunity to make more money by being able to reach a greater market at a fraction of the price.  However, this is not the only way shipping container owners can make money from their units.  Some have been known to buy mystery containers, without a ..read more

It is easy to see the appeal of a shipping container conversion; they are modular, easy to build, almost infinitely modifiable, greener than conventional building materials, cheaper than a conventional build but also studier than most temporary structures. With people on the hunt for alternative building materials and the corrugated industrial look hugely in vogue, more people than ever before are looking into using shipping containers to build homes and business structures. However, a shipping container building is still a building, and that leads to the fundamental question of whether a conv ..read more

The last few years have seen a resolute boom in shipping container conversions, with the standardised metal boxes being used for practically any purpose you can think of and several others besides. The reasons why are relatively straightforward; the sheer magnitude of freight in an era of containerisation means that there are a lot of shipping containers that would otherwise be melted down or discarded, making them environmentally conscious. Whilst a 40ft container would be big enough for a small house, they are also designed for stacking and can form the basis of transportable modular structu ..read more

There are many ways in which converted shipping containers have found completely new uses, but few could be quite so exotic as making it a place for the treatment of some very novel animals. This is the plan for an upmarket veterinary surgery, which has plans to use five containers situated at Fife Zoo, Fife Today reports. Exotic Vets Ltd is seeking planning permission for the first phase of a new practice that would be based at the zoo, with two vets working in the converted container site for two years. This would enable them to get up and running before expanding in phase 2, which would see ..read more

The property market has been unstable to say the least in the last year or two, thanks to soaring mortgage rates, but the solution to the problem could be right under our noses – container conversions.  While first-time buyers (FTBs) have undoubtedly been hit by the housing market crisis, as they are struggling to get accepted by mortgage providers, they are not the only group of homebuyers who have had a tough year.  Homemovers have also been unable to get their dream property, as not only are they unable to afford the higher mortgage rates, but they risk falling into negative equit ..read more

There are many common ways in which shipping container conversions can take place, with these often being used as shops or food outlets, storage or changing facilities for sports clubs, holiday lets, or even houses. However, some rare and novel uses can occasionally be spotted, such as a museum. Anyone wanting to see this can do so by visiting Bristol, where Avonmouth may remain a busy port handling shipping containers in present-day use, but there are still lots of old containers finding a new purpose. Bristol World has reported on how a used container has become the Museum of Totterdown, a d ..read more

Sheffield could be transformed if a shipping container development is given the go ahead.  Over the last few years, shipping container conversions have cropped up everywhere. They have been used as restaurants, cafes and bars; independent stores; for exhibitions and events; and even as alternative, and interesting, homes.  Sheffield is the latest city to jump on to the shipping container bandwagon, with a new development being proposed for an area between the O2 Academy and Odeon Sheffield.  Pond Gate Estate 1 Ltd and Pond Gate Estate 2 Ltd have applied to Sheffield City Council ..read more