Removals storage is storage provided by a removal company as part of a move: its crew packs your belongings, usually into large wooden containers, takes them to the company's warehouse, and delivers them to your new home when you're ready. It is also called containerised storage. You hand your goods over, and the removal company handles them from door to door.
How it differs from self storage
The British Association of Removers (BAR), the trade body for removal firms, describes a standard warehouse container as holding 250 cubic feet, about 5 ft wide, 7 ft deep and 8 ft high. It says customer access to the warehouse "is minimal and they are always accompanied by a member of staff". BAR also claims that "Container storage is almost always cheaper than self-storage"; that is the trade body's view, and the way to test it is to compare a removal firm's storage quote with a self-storage quote for the same weeks.
With self storage, you (or a removals firm acting for you) load the unit yourself, you hold the access, and you can visit without an appointment during opening hours. So the choice mostly comes down to two questions: will you need anything out before the move ends, and do you want to do the loading?
At Wigwam
We're a self-storage company. For help with the moving itself, our FAQ says we can recommend local, reliable removals and man-and-van firms to bring your things in or unload them; call us on 0800 2545585 for names. Our terms let "You or Your Agents" access your unit (clause 14), so a removals crew can load a Wigwam unit for you, with you or someone you've given their own access there (see can a removals firm drop off at my unit without me?), and you get self-storage access afterwards: 6am to 10pm, seven days a week, with no appointment.
Our own container units at Chipping Norton, Shipston-on-Stour and Warminster are different from removal-firm containers: they are steel units you load and visit yourself.
Related terms: Self storage · Container unit · Bridging storage · Unit access hours
Related questions: What's the difference between self storage and removals storage? · Is there anyone on site to help me unload or load my stuff?