How storage management turns idle assets into sustainable cost savings

For facilities managers under budget pressure, the answer might already be sitting in storage.

When budgets tighten, the instinct is to cut costs wherever possible. For many organisations, that means deferring furniture decisions and moving unused assets into storage. But our recent research shows that despite cost-saving initiatives being on the mind, these strategies can increase spending and reduce efficiency.

Paying to store what you already own 

Our survey of facilities and office management professionals found that roughly one fifth of all furniture management budgets are spent on storage alone. The furniture sitting in those facilities isn't there temporarily either: unused assets remain in storage for more than eight months on average, and for organisations with annual revenues under £10 million, that figure climbs to over nine months. 

Those with tighter budgets are storing furniture the longest, despite having less financial headroom to absorb the cost. It's a pattern that points to a deeper problem – without a formalised strategy, storage becomes a default rather than a deliberate choice, and the bills quietly accumulate.

The reuse opportunity hiding in plain sight

Money is already being wasted, but facilities managers themselves estimate that more than 40% of the furniture currently sitting in storage could realistically be reused within their organisation right now. These assets, which are costing money to store, could already be meeting a need somewhere else in the business.

Reuse leads to quick wins that don't require a large budget or a long procurement process. But it does require visibility. Organisations that audit their inventory properly, and match stored assets against current and upcoming needs, consistently find that they can reduce both their storage costs and their procurement spend at the same time.

A better understanding of space through occupancy technology can feed into a digital inventory, to help make informed decisions for business estates. That could include understanding user journeys to adjust the furniture layout accordingly.

For a British multinational insurance company, BMG helped identify reuse and redistribution opportunities that saved £238,000. By prioritising reuse over disposal and taking a structured approach to asset redistribution, the business was able to redirect significant budget while reducing its environmental footprint at the same time.

The impact of budget pressure

The data shows a clear pattern: the less revenue an organisation has, the more likely it is to spend money on storage, and the less likely it is to have a formalised furniture management strategy.

Just 67% of firms with annual revenues under £10 million have one, compared to 85% of those turning over between £100 million and £499.9 million. Without that structure, decisions get made based on immediate cost rather than lifecycle value, and storage becomes the path of least resistance.

The result is a false economy. The cheapest short-term option turns out to be one of the biggest ongoing expenses, quietly absorbing budget that could be redirected towards genuine improvements.

Our research reveals exactly where the inefficiencies lie, and the five steps organisations can take to fix them. Download our Furniture Futures to see the full breakdown.

For more on the broader sustainability picture, read our blog on what 1.2 million desks ending up in UK landfill tells us about workplace sustainability.