Zippy Shell

Zippy Shell USA, LLC, is a portable storage and moving company headquartered in Washington, D.C. Zippy Shell USA was launched in 2010 after it expanded to the United States from Australia.

Business

Zippy Shell delivers a storage container directly to customers home or business. Each steel container is housed in a "shell" made of fiberglass and wood and is delivered via a standard pickup truck. Zippy Shell’s portable storage and moving shells are a registered vehicle.

Many of the Zippy Shell locations are independently owned and operated franchises.

Zippy Shell recently was named the No. 368 "Best Franchise" in Entrepreneur Magazine's Top 500 franchises^[1] and was ranked No. 28 on Entrepreneur '​s Top New Franchise list for 2014.^[1] Also, in 2014 as well as 2012, Zippy Shell was the runner-up in the under the "Best Movers" category of the Washington City Paper '​s "Best of DC" rankings.^[2] Zippy Shell was named in October 2014 to the list of "12 of the Best New Franchises You Should Know About".^[3] Additionally, in October 2014, Zippy Shell was ranked #485 on the 2014 Franchise Times Top 500 Franchises Systems. ^[4] As of August 2014, Zippy Shell USA has 48 different franchise locations in 86 territories throughout the United States.^[5]

History

The Zippy Shell concept was founded in 2007 in Australia by Gareth Taylor and Adam Gilchrist and was one of the first mobile storage businesses in that country. The business was operated in Australia for two years, building a customer base of over 500 storage customers before being sold as a Master Franchise to Grace Removal Group, one of Asia's largest moving companies.^[6]

In 2010, Zippy Shell USA, LLC launched in the United States. Since 2010, Zippy Shell has expanded its service to include 49 locations in 87 different markets in the United States. In 2014, Zippy Shell has 13 franchise sales that cover 19 territories. On May 27, 2014, Zippy Shell USA announced that the company had merged with Zippy Shell International, LLC.

Zippy Shell USA also operates Zip Move and ZippyU, both extensions of the brand. Zip Move ships containers across the country for customers who are moving from one Zippy Shell franchise location to another, while ZippyU provides college students with summer storage.

Several new franchisees were added in Q3 2014, including the Charlotte ^[7] and Greenville, SC locations.^[8]

Products

Zippy Shell containers come in two sizes: 15 1/2-by-7-by-7 feet and 8-by-7-by-7 feet. Each container can hold up to 5,500 pounds.

Zippy Shell containers are all registered vehicles. No special permitting is needed to use a Zippy Shell.

References