LOOKING after other people’s stuff is a profitable business.

Hampshire-based self-storage company, Lok’nStore, has posted record profits as it continues to expand across the south.

The company has built a portfolio of 26 diestinctive orange-clad stores, and has just opened a new one in Millbrook.

Lok’nStore offers self-storage facilities to individuals and businesses and currently has more than 8,000 customers.

The company has reported an occupancy increase (like-for-like) of nearly three per cent on the previous year, resulting in a 4.7 per cent increase in group revenue and a 155.5 per cent increase in profits for the six months to January 31, 2016.

As well as a growing domestic customer-base, Lok’nStore’s business document, archive and data storage service, Saracen, continues to grow, and is particularly popular with IT and legal firms.

The firm, which has its HQ in Farnborough, was founded in 1995 and has since expanded from into Kent, Essex, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Dorset and Northamptonshire.

The new Millbrook store, at Third Avenue, is due to open next week and will replace a small premises at Manor House Avenue. It will have 800 units ranging in size “from a wardrobe to a mini-warehouse”.

Andrew Jacobs, chief executive, said: “It’s an exciting time at Lok’nStore –- in a competitive market, we continue to grow organically, driven by our focus on providing our customers with expert and friendly advice, value, complete flexibility and optimum storage security.

“We have an ambitious growth plan with improvements to our existing stores combined with our programme of opening new, landmark, purpose-built stores.”