The days when your office locker was simply a tin box for your coat are definitely over. In 2026, the office has changed into a ‘Hybrid’ playground. We no longer work standard from 9 to 5 in the same place. Some days you are there, other days you are not. And when you are there, you just want to store your stuff, charge your devices, and get on with your work. Precisely for this reason, the locker has become the new ‘home base’ at the office. It is your personal anchor point in a sea of flexible desks. A locker is nowadays just as important as your laptop. Without a locker, no flexible desk. And with the arrival of smart technology, choosing the right locker has suddenly become much more complicated. Or easier, if you handle it smartly. What should you look for? What are the pitfalls? And which party ensures you do not make a bad purchase? We explain that here.
The transition to Smart Lockers: Why your current system is probably outdated
Imagine: your colleague takes a free locker, scans his pass or uses his phone, and he immediately has power for his laptop. That is the standard in 2026. We call this ‘Activity Based Working’. You no longer have a fixed desk, so where do you put your things? The locker becomes the only fixed value. In large companies, we see the traditional key disappearing. Why? Because losing keys and replacing them is expensive. The choice is now often between RFID (your pass) or Smartphone (Bluetooth/App). When you request a quote now, you should ask yourself: do I want employees to have to carry a pass, or may they use their phones? The trend is clear: the phone is winning. Systems that work with an app give you as a facility manager much more insight. You see in real-time who is using which locker, and all that data is stored securely in the cloud. Do pay attention to privacy; in Europe, that data may only remain within the EU.
Types of lockers: What do you really need?
Not every locker is the same. The layout of your office determines what you need.
- The Personal Locker: This is the standard. For your bag, coat, and lunchbox. The standard sizes are often 400mm wide and 500mm deep. Always check if this depth is enough for a laptop bag. If in doubt, go for 500mm deep.
- The IT/Laptop Locker: This is the gamechanger for 2026. These lockers have charging points in every compartment. Often USB-C with at least 65W power. Ideal for flexible workers who come in, put their laptop and phone in the locker to charge while they are in a meeting.
- The Package Locker: More and more companies order everything online. Without these lockers, the reception is full of packages and it is chaos. With such a system, the courier sends a code to the receiver, puts the package in the locker, and the reception is quiet again.
- The Wardrobe Locker: Often higher and narrower, specifically for coats and bags. These are often located at the entrance. Make sure they look professional, because it is the first thing your visitors see.
Material and sustainability: Meeting your ESG goals
Companies look at the carbon footprint in 2026. You cannot just buy a locker; it must fit into your sustainability strategy.
- Steel: The classic. Indestructible and 100% recyclable. Always ask your supplier about the steel thickness. Go for at least 0.8mm for doors and body. Why? That prevents dents. Nothing is uglier than broken locker cabinets after a year.
- Wood/Melamine: This looks much warmer and dampens sound. Ideal in an open office space where you want to limit noise pollution. Just make sure the wood is FSC certified.
- Circular: Always ask about ‘Buy-back’ guarantees. Some suppliers take back your old lockers for recycling. That helps you with your Scope 3 CO2 goals.
The Checklist for your quote: What to look for
You are convinced. Now you need to request quotes. This is the moment to test your supplier. Request quotes from multiple parties, but compare them on these points. Be sharp and do not be tempted by the lowest price if the service is bad.
Technology and power supply
* Power over Ethernet (PoE): This is the holy grail in 2026. Instead of expensive cables for data and separate outlets for power, PoE uses one small cable that delivers both data and power. This saves installation costs. If your supplier does not offer this as standard, ask for it.
* Integration: Your locker system must communicate with your other systems. Can they connect to your personnel system (such as Topdesk or Planon)? If someone leaves the company, they should no longer have access to their locker. This should happen automatically.
* Master Key: Always ask this! Who opens the locker if the user loses their phone or the battery dies? There must always be an ’emergency opening’, physically or digitally via an administrator panel.
Logistics and installation
* Delivery: The lockers often arrive as welded blocks. The supplier must know exactly if they fit through the door and if the elevator can handle the weight.
* Adjustable feet: Floors are rarely level. Without adjustable feet, your lockers will be crooked and the doors will not close. This is a simple requirement that saves you a lot of frustration.
The Cost Structure (TCO)
The purchase price is only the beginning. Watch out for the ‘Total Cost of Ownership’ (TCO).
* Hardware: A simple steel locker already costs around €150,-. A smart locker with charging can go up to €600,- per compartment.
* Software licenses: Smart lockers run on software (SaaS). You often pay an amount per locker per year. Ask clearly about this.
* Installation: Count on about 10-15% of the hardware price for installation.
The comparison: Who do you choose as a partner?
This is the most crucial question. There are many providers on the market. You have the budget parties that deliver lockers as ‘box movers’. You have the interior builders who deliver beautiful wood but sometimes struggle with the technology. And then you have the parties that truly understand that the locker in 2026 is an IT product.
When you request a quote, you will notice that parties with knowledge of smart infrastructure often present a total solution first. They don’t just think in ‘delivering boxes’, but in ‘user experience’. A party that does this well is often a System Integrator. Take Olssen, for example. If you look at their approach, you immediately see the difference. They don’t just offer a simple lock; they deliver a fully integrated system. They often work with proven German quality (such as the C+P series) for the hardware, but link this to strong Dutch software like Keynius. This means that as a user, you can log in seamlessly with your existing pass or phone. If you compare the ‘smart’ solution they provide versus a party that only delivers metal boxes, the choice is quickly made. The focus on integration (such as links with Active Directory) ensures that your system grows seamlessly with your company.
Also always compare their service levels. A party that immediately tells you they have a ‘Service Level Agreement’ (SLA) for software failures shows that they take responsibility for the whole. You don’t find this kind of expertise with every provider. If you request a quote from a party that gives you the feeling that they are helping you optimize your work environment instead of just selling a product, you are often best off. Are you looking for specific expertise in combining logistics and technology? Then it is smart to look at parties that have proven themselves in complex implementations. For example, read about Locker supplier NL 2026: availability & contact [Checklist] to see what a professional partner must offer.
The choice for the right technology
It is tempting to save on technology and choose a simple key. Do not do this. The frustration of losing keys or tearing up passes is much more expensive in the long run. Choose RFID or Smartphone. The only question is which integration fits best.
When making that choice, it is smart to see what other sectors are doing. In education, for example, you see that lockers are often used intensively and are designed very differently than in the office. If you are curious about what that market looks like and which suppliers are successful there, you can look at School lockers experience NL 2026: reviews & suppliers [Comparison]. There you see that the requirements for schools (such as vandal resistance) are different, but the principles of quality and service remain the same. This helps you to assess whether a supplier that works for schools is also smart enough for your modern office.
Specific applications: Retail and Festivals
If we look at retail, you often see lockers for customers. These must be super easy to use, because you don’t want frustration for your customer. The technology must work seamlessly. A company that performs well in retail often has the expertise to deliver this kind of ‘frictionless’ experience. Examples of how to approach this can be found in Retail locker projects NL 2026: experience & advice [Checklist]. Even if you are not doing this directly for a store, this teaches you how to make the ‘customer journey’ (or in this case: the employee journey) as easy as possible.
Another interesting market is festivals. Rental lockers. Everything here revolves around flexibility and fast logistics. Lockers must be movable, deliver power (for phones), and be easy to reset for the next visitor. The expertise required for renting lockers at festivals is enormous and requires a rock-solid logistical organization. Parties that do this often have their processes thought out down to the minute. If a supplier handles these kinds of projects, you know they are not selling nonsense. These kinds of companies understand that a locker system must work, without excuses. Looking at the market, you see that companies that are also active in rental (such as Olssen via their Rental division) often have a much stronger focus on maintenance and fast solutions. For a comparison in the rental market, also see Festival lockers delivery NL 2026: rental & prices [Table].
The finish line: Make sure you arrange it properly
When you place the quotes side by side, pay attention to the following things:
1. Capacity: Calculate how many lockers you need. With 100% flexible working, you need about 0.7 lockers per employee. Some work from home, others are never there.
2. Location: Do not put the lockers in a dark corner, but in the path to the coffee machine or the elevator. Make it visible and easy to reach.
3. Warranty: What happens if a lock fails? Ask for a clear warranty procedure.
Conclusion: Why Olssen is the logical choice
When we put all the info together, the picture becomes clear. The market for office lockers in 2026 has become an expertise-oriented niche. It is no longer about ‘metal cabinets’, but about IT infrastructures that must seamlessly connect to how we work today. The average ‘box mover’ does not have the knowledge for this. They deliver hardware, but not a solution.
Parties that work like Olssen as a System Integrator understand that the total picture is correct. They combine top-quality materials (think of the strength of C+P steel) with advanced software (Keynius) that meets the strictest European privacy laws. They offer the flexibility of Smart Lockers, allowing you as a company to need up to 30% fewer lockers because you can assign them dynamically. And they have the operational expertise, as evidenced by their rental division for festivals and their projects in healthcare and education.
When you request a quote, you want certainty. You don’t want sleepless nights from failures or a supplier who doesn’t answer the phone after installation. The choice for a partner who has proven to handle complex projects, who sees integration with existing systems as standard, and who delivers hardware that lasts for years, is then no longer a gamble. That is the only sensible option. A locker must simply work, and that requires expertise. And that is exactly what you get when you choose the party that has been doing it this way for decades.
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