In Paris, parking lots are aging, not maintained and used less and less. Lockall bought this underground car park to transform it into a storage center in the 13th arrondissement.
Paris has less and less need for parking lots. At the end of January, we discussed the transformation of a parking lot into social housing in the 17th arrondissement. Here is a new episode of theevolution of Parisian car parks with the redevelopment of a seven-level underground car park, rue Nationale in the 13th arrondissement, into a storage center by Lockall. This premises contained 834 parking spaces, 80% empty.
Lockall installed two freight elevators, each weighing 2 tonnes, in the courtyard at the rear of the building, serving the seven underground levels. Trucks will pass under the porch to reach the yard and unload their goods. Utility vehicles with a height of less than 2 m will use the spiral ramp to descend to the storage rooms. © PP
A complex acquisition
THE 22,000 m underground car park2 belonged to a co-ownership bringing together:
– the City of Paris;
– The Hyundai garage installed on the ground floor;
– An optician;
– A Carrefour store;
– And, finally, the co-ownership of the building above.
In short, before being able to buy, Lockall carried out a detailed on-site investigation to know who owned what in the parking lot and who would own what at the end of the operation. The car park was built by and operated by the City of Paris. Lockall started this business in 2020 and bought the City of Paris’ share February 14, 2024: 22,000 m2 for 8 million euros.
At the end of the Operation, the car park will still be a joint ownership, shared between Lockall and the Hyndai garage which retains its workshop there and parking spaces on the top level.
There Lockall structure itself is not extremely simple either. Created on February 14, 2021, Lockall is a SAS (Simplified Joint Stock Company) which belongs to Sodeval France, chaired by Alexis de l’Epine, the founder of Lockall. But the Rafter Group, an English group created by Metric Capital Partners LLP, indicates that it owns several brands of storage solutions, including Lockall in France since 2019, Less Mess Storage in Poland and the Czech Republic since 2015, Atic Self Storage in London since 2018, storemore in Germany since 2019 and Storemore Spain. Alexis de l’Epine, founder and director of Lockallis also a member of the Board of Directors of the Rafter Group. In short, storage is complicated. But the Lockall’s formula is simple. The company already offers seven sites in operation in Île-de-France which house storage premisesbut also “Craftsmen’s Houses”, except in the underground premises, which contain small offices and workshops. Storage, offices and workshops can be rented for short periods. They are protected by video and remote surveillance. Access is secured by a mobile application. All these premises are comprehensively insured by Axa. This site in the 13th arrondissement will be the eighth. A ninth is in preparation in Bagneux.
Lockall is setting up a reception area on the ground floor of 155 rue Nationale in the 13th arrondissement. Customers will be able to briefly stop in front to rent a storage space. © PP
Development and compliance work
Maintenance of the parking lot had been neglected for years. As Alexis de l’Epine says: “it was in its juice since the 70s“. For his needs, Lockall completely revamped it. Cleaning work began in August 2025, including asbestos removal. A smoke extraction solution was installed with discharge above the building above the car park. Fresh air supply networks have been installed for ventilation. All the water networks were moved as close as possible to the slabs, so as to optimize space for storage.
Lockall created three compartments on each level and retained three staircases to maintain safety evacuations. These compartments are separated from circulation in the center of the vis and from each other by two-hour fire-rated partitions. Parking spaces have been set up along the circulation path which will be used for loading and unloading vehicles less than 2 m high. © Lockall / © PP
To respect the doctrine of the Paris Fire Brigade, all premises are now sprinkled: circulation areas, parking lots, compartments and even inside the storage boxes. © PP
In the fifteen compartments protected by two-hour fire partitions, boxes with metal partitions and doors are fitted out. They are open on the top for sprinklers. 7,000m2 boxes from 1 to 25-30 m2 will be developed. They will be rented for €30 to €35 excluding tax/month, all charges included, including taxes and electricity. © PP
In total, in the various Lockall locations, 80,000 m2 boxes are for rent. By the end of 2027, the company is targeting 100,000 m2.
In the 13th arrondissement, the 22,000 m2 of purchased parking lots were converted into storage (7,000 m2), but around 11,000 m2 will remain parking lots, both Lockall property for loading/unloading and the Hyundai garage. 60% of storage spaces will be available this spring, as well as all parking lots.
This is what the storage units will look like once completed and rented. Lockall does not allow foodstuffs to be stored there, to avoid an invasion of rodents, except bottles of wine and soft drinks, but not alcohol which presents an additional risk in the event of fire. © Lockall
In the fifteen compartments, watertightness is ensured at the bottom of the partition. It is collected by channels and evacuated to collectors on the underside of the slab, then directed all the way down into a pit where two lifting pumps are installed for evacuation to the sewer. As the car park goes down 25 m below ground level, ground water can infiltrate and must be evacuated, but it must also be paid to the City of Paris. Lockall therefore installed several water meters: a general meter measures the water evacuated by the lift pumps, other meters measure the water going down into the parking lot. The difference indicates the volume of infiltrated groundwater that must be paid to the city. © PP
The three main actors in the transformation of this car park, from right to left: Alexis de l’Epine, founder and director of Lockall, Olivier Robin, project manager and construction director for Sodeval France, Antoine Muel, co-founder of Lockall. The total cost of the work reached €8 million, including just under €1 million for the sprinkler package. © PP
Here is an example of an office and workshop, 10 to 15 m2rented to craftsmen in the “Craftsmen’s Houses” created by Lockall in its non-underground sites. There will not be any in this car park in the 13th arrondissement. Internet access is provided. Lockall’s clientele is split between individuals and businesses, between 50/50 and 70/30, depending on the site. But Lockall wants to develop its professional clientele, hence the creation of the “Maisons des Artisans”, designed for short occupancy based on local projects carried out by craftsmen. © Lockall
