2020 Volume 1 - 3SA Swiss Self Storage Association
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SSA UK Awards 2020 10
Focus on France 17
First Impressions Count 37
2020 Volume 1 Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 1
2 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020
Contents
President’s Report 5
Reflections from the CEO’s Desk… 6
SSA UK Conference 8
SSA UK Awards 2020 10
Make your self storage facility iconic 13
New Members 16
Focus on France 17
Additional revenue opportunity
and how to achieve it 20
24Storage – customer success center 22
YSN: Why choose to work in the
self storage sector? 25
SSA UK Members to receive Property Week
as part of membership 25
Go Store Self Storage opens in York 30
A day in the life of a Membership
Services Officer (MSO) 32
Self Storage Events 33
FEDESSA Conference & Trade Show 2020 34
First impressions count 37
Self Storage Industry News 40
French Conference 43
New self storage agreements for
Sweden and the UK 44
Recent SSA UK Events 45
SSA UK Upgraded Members 45
Winter Workshop 2020 46
Swedish Self Storage Association
New Year’s Dinner 2020 47
#whatsthegowithhashtags 50
Under insurance and the average clause -
why it is important to customers 52
Puzzle Page 56
Edward Howard Interview 58
To subscribe to Unlocked the European Self Storage
magazine, please contact:
Self Storage Association UK | Priestley House |The Gullet | Nantwich | Cheshire | CW5 5SZ
Tel: + 44 (0)1270 623 150
Fax: + 44 (0)1270 623 471
Email: admin@ssauk.com
Editorial: News items and articles on all aspects of the self storage
industry are welcomed and should be sent, together with photographs
if appropriate, to: admin@ssauk.com
The SSA UK and FEDESSA, or any of its agents/representatives/staff,
cannot accept any legal liability for the accuracy of the news items
and articles contained in the magazine which have been obtained
and reproduced in good faith.
Advertising enquiries to admin@ssauk.com
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Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 3
4 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020
President’s Report
The FEDESSA board met in January to plan the activities for 2020. One of the major
projects will be the introduction of a new Customer Relations Management (CRM)
system. This will enable us to better communicate with Association Members. It will
allow operators to have more control over who in their organisation gets emails and
correspondence from FEDESSA and their Association. The system will also manage
the FEDESSA Annual Conference, and most of the regional conferences, allowing
Association Members to book onto these events online and manage their bookings
directly. Membership renewals can be paid online for associations that choose to
use this functionality. It will make the management of the membership much more
efficient. FEDESSA Associations now have over 2,100 stores as members, so it is
John Trotman important we have a modern system to manage all this data and allow all members
FEDESSA President
access to the resources of FEDESSA.
FEDESSA is also taking a larger role in organising the Regional Conferences for
member associations. This year we have events in Sweden, Italy, the Netherlands,
Spain, Portugal and the UK in the first half of the year, as well as an event in France
FEDESSA is also planned for later in the year. These events are an important way for members to
meet up and learn about issues facing their local market. Held in the local language,
taking a larger role in
they are particularly useful for the smaller independent operators in each country.
organising the Regional The FEDESSA Conference will continue to provide high quality speakers from both
Conferences for the industry and the general business community, as well as the biggest self storage
member associations. trade show outside the USA. While the 2019 Conference in London was a huge
This year we have success with over 800 attendees, we are also conscious that we don’t want to lose
the opportunity for delegates to network as the event grows. Having successful local
events in Sweden, Italy,
conferences also benefits the annual FEDESSA Conference. We hope to have more
the Netherlands, Spain,
events in more countries in the coming years.
Portugal and the UK in The distribution of FEDESSA resources to the various Association Members was also
the first half of the year, discussed at the board meeting. There are a range of resources available to FEDESSA
as well as an event Associations and their members. Documents such as the Disaster Recovery Guide,
in France planned for Marketing Guide, Association Standard, Insurance Guidance Notes and Workplace
later in the year. Safety Guide are available. We will be translating these into more languages and
localising many of them to make them more useful to all FEDESSA members.
The industry is growing in Europe and one of the main roles of FEDESSA is to manage
the European Industry Standard for Self Storage. As the market develops in more
Despite the ongoing European countries, it is important these countries also adopt the European Standard.
global uncertainty the The best way of ensuring this is the development of strong industry associations that
require their members to comply with the standard. While we operate in a largely
self storage industry
self-regulated industry there will always be operators that do not comply. If the local
remains strong with an industry association is enforcing the standard on their members, this gives customers
optimistic outlook for and regulators a clear indication of those businesses that are offering genuine self
growth and revenue. storage and providing adequate levels of security and safety to their customers.
FEDESSA wants to FEDESSA is currently working with the Portuguese and Polish markets with the
be able support its intention of establishing associations in these countries directly managed by
FEDESSA. When the European Standard comes up for review next, we want to have
member associations
enough European countries on board to make some amendments to the standard to
as best it can to grow
reflect modern practices and strengthen some elements.
their membership as Despite the ongoing global uncertainty the self storage industry remains strong with
the industry grows. an optimistic outlook for growth and revenue. FEDESSA wants to be able support its
member associations as best it can to grow their membership as the industry grows.
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 5
Reflections from
the CEO’s Desk…
I often think one of the major benefits of being a self storage operator is the simplicity
of the business. Of course, finding a site, getting planning and developing can have
complications, but once the store is operating, the model is fairly simple. There is
minimal staffing; the onus is on the customer to bring in their goods and the customer
keeps the keys to the unit so controls access to the space. There is none of the
issues with tenancy and leasehold as it is a licenced use of space and not a lease.
Most customers even insure their own goods. In a constantly changing world where
we are always hearing about disruptors, I think it is the simplicity of self storage which
makes it more resistant to disruptive influences. If you look at mobile storage or valet
Rennie Schafer
storage, where boxes are delivered to customers for them to fill up, this adds a level of
SSA UK and FEDESSA CEO
complexity and cost, with the logistics of transporting the goods. In the case of valet
storage, there is only so much that you can fit into cardboard boxes to be shipped
back to the warehouse. These models may appeal to some customers but they are
not impacting the core self storage user. Peer-to-peer self storage (the Airbnb style
model), where you put your goods in a stranger’s house or garage is similar. The
customer is trusting a stranger to look after their goods and they don’t have the same
I think it is the simplicity
level of access that a self storage operator provides, or the same level of security.
of self storage which They also don’t have exclusive access to their goods like in self storage. So once
makes it more resistant again, it is not really providing the same service self storage does, nor attracting the
to disruptive influences. same customers. Self storage is a simple model and it works.
It is somewhat ironic that it is by complicating the model operators often get themselves
into difficulty. Take keeping keys for example. The basic self storage legal status is
around avoiding bailment, which is where the person holding the goods has a legal
obligation to protect them and must exercise a duty of care over the goods. This
means if the goods are damaged or lost, the business must show they did all that was
reasonable to protect the goods. This concept applies to warehouses and removers
who have access to their customers goods and handle them. The concept of the
While there is no doubt customer keeping the key to the self storage unit and the operator not having access,
largely removes the element of bailment. The operator doesn’t have access to the
that technological
space, so has no way of knowing exactly what is in the space, so cannot reasonably
changes will impact the be required to protect the goods. This means that if the goods are damaged or lost,
self storage industry the customer has to prove that the operator’s actions caused their loss if they were
in the coming years, to make a claim against them. It does not matter if the keys are being used, merely
having the ability to access the space changes the lien relationship. It also means if
the basic model of
the authorities want to access a unit, they can request the business open the unit for
licencing the use of them, as you have a key. This involves the business in a messy situation that would
space, or the “room normally be between the authorities and the customer.
away from home” Yet many self storage operators often keep master keys or spare keys for customers,
concept will remain the increasing their liability if something goes wrong and often with little or no benefit to
the business. The keys are kept in case the operator needs to access the unit, if the
same. The simplicity of
customer does not pay, because the customer keeps forgetting their key or have a
the model is one of the lock that is hard to cut off. Whatever the reason, the business is taking a higher risk
reasons for its success, by keeping the key so they should only do so when there is a genuine need to do so,
operators should not and the business is getting compensated for it. If a business customer wants you to
keep a key so deliveries are put in their unit or staff can have access, charge extra for
over complicate it. this service.
While there is no doubt that technological changes will impact the self storage industry
in the coming years, the basic model of licencing the use of space, or the “room away
from home” concept will remain the same. The simplicity of the model is one of the
reasons for its success. Operators should not over complicate it.
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N e w
The SSA UK are delighted to announce our new UK Conference to be
held on Monday, 4 and Tuesday, 5 May 2020 in Birmingham. Sponsored
by Universal Storage Containers, this 2-day event includes a range of key
industry and business speakers focusing specifically on issues relevant to
the UK self storage market.
Chaired by Brian Jordan, the agenda includes presentations on:
• Managing your Google spend by • 10 common legal mistakes to avoid
effectively targeting customers • How independent auditing can
• Keeping your store staff improve your business
• Managing under insurance in your • Managing a store incident
customers • What buyers look for in due
• Identifying problem customers diligence and why it’s important
• Dynamic pricing and how it works
Venue & Location
Join us to see how the
The 4-star Hilton Birmingham Metropole is one of the best conference venues
UK self storage industry in the region. Centrally located in the Heart of England, it is adjacent to the NEC
has performed over the and easily accessible from all over the UK. It has excellent transport links with
past 12 months. Birmingham International Rail Station and Airport on-site and easy access to the
motorway network - M42, M6, M1 and M5 and only 8 miles from Birmingham City
Centre. Ample car parking is available.
For the first time, the UK Annual Industry Report Launch will be held outside
of London on the afternoon of Monday 4 May between 4.00pm-5.00pm. This
one-hour launch is open to anyone wishing to attend, including those who are
not attending the conference. Join us to see how the UK self storage industry
has performed over the past 12 months. While attendance to the Annual Industry
Launch is complimentary to all members, attendance will required to be confirmed
with the SSA UK prior to the event.
MAJOR SPONSOR The UK Awards Dinner is also being held at the conference on the evening of
Monday, 4 May. The 2020 Categories are; UK Manager of the Year, Best Facility
UK Independent Operators, Best Facility UK Major Operators, Best Facility UK
Container Operators and UK Charity Initiative Award. Closing date for all entries
is Friday, 27 March. More information on how to enter the SSA UK Awards can be
found on page 10, or at www.ssauk.com.
Accommodation
Accommodation is available on-site at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole Hotel
where we have negotiated preferential rates for attendees. Accommodation at this
rate is very limited so please do book early via the link on the website.
Alternative accommodation is available within the NEC complex and is within easy
walking distance. Visit the conference website for more details.
Sponsorship & Exhibiting Opportunities
The conference offers sponsors and exhibitors a great opportunity to promote
products and services direct to UK self storage owners and developers and create
or increase brand awareness.
Interested?
Please visit the website for costs and details of all sponsorship packages and trade
stand opportunities.
https://www.ssauk.com/events/ssa-uk-conference-2020-4-5-may-birmingham/
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Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 9
The 2019 winners
SSA UK Awards 2020
The Self Storage Association Why you should enter?
United Kingdom (SSA UK) Winners receive a prestigious FEDESSA Award Trophy, a framed personalised
Awards are a wonderful certificate, a bottle of Champagne plus a copy of the professional photographs from
the presentation which are ideal for use in your own promotional programme. In
way of highlighting your
addition, winners receive recognition and exposure throughout the industry including;
achievements and rewarding
post awards communications to members and the wider sector, a dedicated webpage
your most significant assets on both the SSA UK and FEDESSA websites for 12 months, promotion in the post-
– the people who make your conference issue of UNLOCKED and a press release for winners to distribute to
companies, facilities and their local media. Winners are encouraged to utilise other PR opportunities i.e. local/
businesses successful. regional newspapers, via magazine contacts, local radio and on their own website.
Presentations take place at the UK Awards Dinner held at the new UK Conference
2020 on the evening of Monday, 4 May. Winners of the UK Manager, UK Major
Tips Operator Facility and UK Independent Operator Facility are also entered into the
A few tips for your entry: FEDESSA Awards being presented at the Awards Dinner on the final evening of the
• Keep the entry concise – the FEDESSA Conference & Trade Show 2020 held in Portugal on Thursday, 1 October
judges have a lot to read 2020.
through so make the wow How to enter
factors easier to pick out and
Awards open for entries in February and the Awards Pack will be sent out to all
don’t waffle!
members with more detailed information on each of the categories. This information
• Supporting material such
as photos and testimonials will also be published on the SSA UK website.
are welcome but don’t send It couldn’t be easier to enter. Simply read the award criteria, write your entry, complete
original copies as we are the Permission to Publish Form and send both your entry and the Permission to
unable to return these Publish Form to Bryony Pearson at the SSA UK head office via email bpearson@
• Follow the criteria when writing ssauk.com
your entry – this is how the
judges will score each entry We were delighted to win Best Independent Facility of the year award
and making it easier for the and it has been a real boost for the team and our customers! We’ve
judges is always sensible
received some excellent promotion from the SSA and been able to
• Keep a copy of your entry
share this via social media, at our stores and on quotes.
The Awards are a fantastic
opportunity to reward staff, Entering the awards gives you the chance to reflect on your strategy
celebrate achievements and to continually improve the facilities and the customer experience as
gain positive PR prospects. well as an incredibly motivating goal to achieve.
Any questions regarding the
Katie Vost, Storage Boost Stafford
awards, please contact Bryony at
bpearson@ssauk.com. winners of the 2019 SSA UK Independent Facility of the Year
Good luck!
10 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Information on the 2020 categories is listed below.
Categories Details Criteria Entered into
FEDESSA Awards
UK Manager The judges are looking for an outstanding The manager must have Yes
of the Year 2020 manager to win this award. They look closely been employed at the
at sales success and how they have generated facility for at least 12
more business; how they market the business months and cannot have a
to customers; their personality and how significant financial interest
they not only get on with customers, but in the ownership of the
other members of staff; how they deal with property or business
complaints; and any innovations they have
introduced or changes they have made
UK Major Operator Must have at least 4 self Yes – Facility of the Year
Facility 2020 storage stores
UK Independent For operators that don’t Yes – Facility of the Year
Across these awards, the judges are looking
Operator Facility 2020 own or operate more than 3
for the same thing – a store that stands out
self storage store
from the rest!
When judging this award, the business
UK Container Operator For facilities that have 100% No
performance, location and construction,
Facility 2020 of its self storage space
appearance, security, marketing, pricing
in the form of portable
strategy and community involvement are all
containers such as shipping
taken into consideration.
containers or collapsible
self storage containers
(wooden containers do not
apply)
We are proud to have been named the UK’s best container storage facility for 2019 and it has
inspired us to strive to improve even further. When submitting our proposal we were able to
take a step back and discover what we were doing well and what areas we could improve in
the future and have since been able to implement the desired changes.
We believe it is beneficial for the industry if as many self storage facilities as possible get
involved in the awards. It has helped us establish new relationships with different businesses
and has brought us so much pride to have been involved in the awards. We urge all self
storage sites to participate in the award to help bring the industry forward together.
Khalil Bashir, Twenty4 Secure Storage
winners of UK Container Facility of the Year
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Make your self storage
facility iconic
In a developing market like self storage, you want to be the first company
people think of when people in your area think about self storage. We all Nothing iconic is
know self storage is not something most people think about. They can
drive past self storage facilities every day and not really realise they are
boring or similar to
there until they have a need for storage. So, how can you make your other things. It has
business or store so special it stands out so much that people who don’t something special
need storage know about it?
about it. You need to
When you talk about iconic buildings and places, the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben or the
Colosseum springs to mind. These are globally iconic places most people would
be different to stand
recognise. However, your self storage market is not global, it’s local. You only need out from the crowd and
to be iconic in your local community. Most local areas also have iconic buildings or this means you need to
businesses. Maybe it is the church or a prominent old building. Maybe it is the local
think differently.
butcher who is renowned for his local beef and marketing campaigns. It may even
just be the place everyone uses when giving directions, for example, turn left at
Morrisons and go down the high street. What can you do to make your facility stand
out and become part of the community?
Colour is not enough
Nothing iconic is boring or similar to other things. It has something special about
it. You need to be different to stand out from the crowd and this means you need
to think differently. Back in the day, simply painting your building a bright colour
was enough to make it stand out. Now, people drive through a sea of colour and
advertising every day so being bright is not as effective.
A mascot or image
Use a mascot or image to define your business. If it is a squirrel, make sure the
squirrel is on every bit of marketing material you put out. Have the squirrel on the
side of the building. Give out squirrel toys to the kids that come into your facility.
Place the squirrel on advertising at school sports grounds. Be known as the squirrel
place. But don’t necessarily use a squirrel. It does not even have to be a storage
related mascot. You can make it storage related by attaching it to your business. The
important thing is to adopt the concept whole heartedly and make this mascot the
continued on page 14
centre of everything you do.
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 13continued from page 13
Change every day
No matter what you ‘Change’ gets peoples attention. They notice a new sign, a new car in the street, a
choose, embrace store that has had a face lift. Use this by changing your store every day. Of course,
giving it a new coat of paint every day is not so practical, so look at other ways
the concept and run you can change. Put a digital sign up that you can change the message on daily;
with it. You need to maybe a joke of the day, maybe a trivia question with the answer the next day or that
be different to stand afternoon. Put up community messages about events or community news. Maybe
even let people post messages on the sign at certain times by emailing or messaging
out so take a chance you. If you change your message daily then this gives people a reason to look at
and come up with you every day and they will remember you for that. Just remember to keep the
something quirky messages concise so people can read them from a passing car.
and unique. If you have a mascot or character, move them around the store. If you have display
units, have the mascot filling the units with different things at different times. Match
them with the seasons or festive periods, in outfits or with what they are filling the
units with. Have them not just move around the store but also outside the store.
Make people want to look at your store to see where they are today.
Give your store a point of difference
Vanguard Self Storage, based in the UK, place real fighter jets on top of some of
their stores. This certainly gives them a point of difference. Now we can’t all put jets,
tanks or helicopters on our buildings, but you can do things that make the building
different. Have something sticking out of the wall, put a windmill on the roof, build a
fountain, do something that people will talk about.
Location
It is hard to have a memorable building if it is buried in the back blocks where nobody
can see it. You really need to have a location that is visible to the community. On a
main road, train line or an area where the community pass. If you don’t have a high
exposure site, think about creating memorable signage that you can put around the
community. Pick up the themes in this article and turn them into bus stop advertising
or billboards. It’s not just about storage, it’s about building brand recognition for
people that don’t need storage now, but may in the future, so be quirky and different.
Embrace it
No matter what you choose, embrace the concept and run with it. You need to
be different to stand out, so take a chance and come up with something quirky
and unique. Make sure the entire team are on board, and it is a core part of your
marketing; both online and physical. You know it’s working when you turn up to a
local business or community event, tell someone new where you work and they
immediately say, “the place with the blue monster hanging from the roof”.
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New Members
SUPPLIER MEMBERS UK PROVISIONAL Aylesford Self Storage SWEDEN
MEMBERS Old Mill Lane
Absorbopak Ltd Aylesford Etab Relocation AB
6 Main Street The Cobble Shop ME20 7DT Skärgårdsvägen 270
Howth Magbiehill Park 01622 715730 139 30 Värmdö
Dublin Dunlop Road info@aylesfordselfstorage.co.uk Lagerhotell Kubiken AB
D13 P2C1 Stewarton Stockvägen 4
Ireland KA3 3DX Green Oak Self Storage Ltd 531 54 Lidköping
+353 1 6978733 01560 843413 Hunts Green Farm
Middleton
C&S Desiccants Ltd Clear Storage Ltd Tamworth
PORTUGAL
T/A Aquadry UK Poplar Avenue B78 2AX Arruma Lda
0800 999 4474 Rotherwas North Rua Melo e Sousa 395 1º
enquiries@aquadryuk.com Hereford Lenches Self Storage
2765 – 282 Estoril
HR2 6FE High Trees
Storist 01432 273473 Sheriffs Lench
158 Bishopton Lane info@goodwinbusiness.co.uk Evesham
Stratford Upon Avon WR11 4SD
Warwickshire Gentle Giants Ltd lss@lenchesselfstorage.com
CV37 0UB Gandens Business Park
Forge Road DMD Couriers Limited
Google Kingsley Unit 4
Central St Giles GU35 9LU Manor Way
1 St Giles High Street 01420 475800 Old Woking
London storage@gentlegiants.co.uk GU22 9JX
WC2H 8AG 01483 766136
e-mail@dmdcouriers.com
16 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Focus on France
The rapid pace of reforms led by Emmanuel Macron and his government is
putting social climate under tension, at levels that have rarely been seen in
the previous decades. Although the social protests indicate something else,
the French economy is doing much better than previously and is growing
faster than the German economy. For the first time since 2004, France has
contributed most to the economic growth of the Euro zone, which has mainly
been driven by domestic demand. For years, France was considered the weaker
economy, but in 2019, growth was 1.3 percent and Germany only 0.6 percent,
according to figures from the OECD. The French economy has been growing
by 0.3 percent this year, while business analysts had expected a maximum of
0.2 percent. It is expected the economy will continue to show good results in
2020 as well. The traditionally high unemployment rate dropped to around
8.5%. The purchasing power of the French citizen is increasing, so private
consumption is also growing.
What about the French Self Storage Industry?
Overall the self storage industry in Europe has grown rapidly over the last
decade and this is also the case in France. However, looking at the number
of facilities, France is actually the second largest self storage market in Europe
after the UK, representing 12%. According to a study done by the French
research agency Xerfi in June 2019, there should be 850 self storage facilities
continued on page 18
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in France. According to our own research done by JLL there are approximately 505
self storage facilities in the country of which just over 283 are members of Chambre
Interprofessionelle du Self Stockage, all serving a country of 65.1 million people. The
industry as a whole has a total rentable space of just over 1.2 million m2, giving it 0.018
floor space m2 per capita and 7.8 self storage stores per million inhabitants. The
industry has undergone a considerable evolution over the years as there only were
130 storage centres in France in 2008. Now 11 years later, there are over 500 stores.
Whilst there is definitely room to grow, some cities/urban areas appear to be already
packed, with a strong pressure on price. We also see the different operators try to
strengthen their position in the market through different tactics; opening new stores
in Ile de France or other parts of France, expanding to other European countries
(e.g. as Homebox) or by targeted acquisitions, like for example Shurgard. Besides
the traditional self storage facilities, you also have the specialists in container self
storage and they too are adding to the competitive situation in the country.
The French Self Storage Association organised their first conference with a trade
show in Paris on the 6 December 2019. Since the CISS was formed in June 2000,
their main objective was to ensure the success and harmonious development of the
French Self Storage Industry. Since January 2020, David Varet, Managing Director of
HOMEBOX has been appointed the new CISS President. The CISS has 17 members
representing 283 facilities. The current membership includes the following members;
A Chacun Son Box, Allo Box 66, Annexx, Box Avenue, Box Plus, Easystockage,
Espace en Plus, Flexistockage, Free Stock, Homebox, Innbox, Kikbox, Leader Box,
Locakase, Shurgard, Stock en Box and Une Piece En Plus.
A few of the members:
Homebox
HOMEBOX is the leading self storage company in France with more than 100 storage
facilities across the country. The company was founded in 1996 by Nicolas Rousselet,
chairman of Groupe Rousselet. They went international in 2009 with a store in
Geneva and today they have 1 store in Germany, 8 in Spain and have recently also
opened a store in Portugal. One of the specific characteristics of their growth is they
built their portfolio of self storage centres with franchise partners (40% of HBX stores)
and self-owned businesses (60% of HBX stores).
Shurgard
Shurgard started in France with the acquisition of three stores. Their strategy to
rapidly develop a large network of properties in and around large cities, led to
the development of nearly 40 stores in five years, in the early years of the new
millennium. Today they have a total of 60 stores in France and will acquire two of the
four Flexistockage stores it currently manages. They are the leader in the Greater
Paris region (Ile de France) with a total of nearly 40 stores.
Box Plus
Box Plus, founded by entrepreneur Emmanuel Caron, opened its first store in 2008
and today, has 1 store inside Paris and 3 stores in Ile de France. Their 5th facility will
open in 2020 in Ile de France. They try to serve the storage needs of individuals and
professionals in Paris and the Ile de France region. Their facilities are established
in the city of Paris and on busy roads with direct access from the ring road. This
positioning allows them to guarantee the lowest box rental prices in Ile de France.
Box Plus facilities offer an average of 7000m2 gross.
18 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 19
Additional revenue opportunity
and how to achieve it
Have you got some spare or under-utilised space in your self storage unit?
Well, the world of work is changing and can potentially provide you with additional income
streams.
Companies like Regus and Spaces are expanding rapidly, providing flexible workspace to
accommodate new working practices such as remote working.
This recent innovation in the ‘new world of work’, is now being embraced by the self storage
industry, making the best use of (very often) under-utilised space. This opportunity could be
available to you and your business.
What might some of the benefits be to your team members by providing the shared working
space in addition to the extra revenue for your self storage space?
It is likely to provide team members learning opportunities and development leading to
increased motivation.
This specialist Some of the additional opportunities for team members include:
area is gaining 1. Really understanding good practice for providing shared office space that will provide
tenants with the best value for their investment. It will pay you to research and understand
momentum
what best practice is in how the space is configured; including furniture, tech provision,
across the world meeting rooms and protocols. This is a great motivational project for one or more team
and needs members to get involved in. There are regular seminars and conferences on space
managing very management, many of which are free to attend.
carefully to 2. Involving the team in letting and managing the office space and in liaising with tenants
during their tenancy. This will give them a new skill set, additional purpose in their roles,
ensure that the
and potentially enhance the value of the space to the self storage unit.
benefits for
3. Giving team members responsibility for creating a vibrant working community for tenants,
tenants and your one that encourages collaboration and innovation. This will involve getting to know tenants,
self-storage unit what their needs are, and then linking the needs and aspirations of all the businesses
are achieved. using the space.
This specialist area is gaining momentum across the world and needs managing very carefully
to ensure that the benefits for tenants and your self storage unit are achieved. For some
readers, this might all seem like common sense - and in general, it is!
However, the world of shared working space will involve changes in your self storage working
practices mindset, so you will find it beneficial to research and plan carefully, identifying any
gaps between your current and future business model, listening to your team (and potential
tenants), and then addressing the gaps.
Addressing the gaps is highly likely to involve changes in your business and one of the keys
to success in any change programme is communication, communication, communication,
leading to building a solid foundation of trust between team members, new tenants, and the
management team. It is critical to keep your team involved in the change journey from before
the physical and strategic change actually starts.
Research regularly shows that people go through the same emotions of change as they
experience the change and yet even the most ‘experienced’ managers either ignore, or miss
out good practice around managing change. This can lead to trust issues, and the lack of
communication is likely to be filled with unhelpful myths and rumours.
Want to know more about how to bring these ideas to reality and work positively into the future
of your business? Contact them at: E: geofflangston@glconnects.com T: +44 (0)7780605868
W: www.glconnects.com
GLconnects are experts in change, team development and motivation and workspace.
20 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 21
24Storage – customer success center
Fast growing operator 24Storage has never hidden their ambition of becoming
Their business a leading player in the Swedish market. They opened their first store in 2015
and now five years later they operate 23 facilities in the regions of Stockholm,
of digitised and
Gothenburg and Malmö (mainly freehold and not leasehold). Since they opened
automated processes their first inception in 2015 they have realised their goal to expand their portfolio
will benefit them with three to five new self storage facilities per year. 2020 will be another exciting
financially and will year for the company with at least two new openings in 2020.
enable scalability and The public listing on the Nasdaq First North Growth Market on December 10, 2019
was an important milestone for the company and today they are looking forward for
continued growth.
an exciting future for 24Storage. The listing on Nasdaq First North Growth Market
will give 24Storage the opportunity to both expand further and to strengthen their
brand awareness. Their business of digitised and automated processes will benefit
them financially and will enable scalability and continued growth. We all know that
the success of a self storage company is not only determined by that the facilities
are located in good locations with efficient operations but also by having access to
financial resources. With 23 storage facilities and new establishments in the coming
years, 24Storage is convinced to deliver shareholder value through continued
growth, positive cash flows and successive upgrading of the property portfolio.
From the moment they opened their first 24Storage facility they have been looking
at solutions on how to change the traditional model, on how they were selling and
communicating with their customers. Improved customer service and new technology
22 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020go hand in hand. However, using technology does not mean that your business no longer
needs personable customer service representatives to nurture customer relationships. That
kind of one-on-one relationship is more important than ever, and technology can help to make
it more effective. 24Storage started to look at several aspects of IT and they realised it was
not just one thing they had to change but several parts of the process. On one hand they had
to make it simpler for the customer but on the other hand they wanted to offer an extended
customer service.
Today 24Storage combines a proven self storage model with e-commerce and prop-tech that
enable a centralized operations, increased customer access and a scalable business. Smart
facility is a key component for enabling the 24Storages business model. The platform is a
combined package of components that can be monitored and controlled from the 24Storage
head office or from any other location.
Gabriel Bergqvist and Rebecca Lagerberg from the Brand and Business Development team
are constantly working on new ways to scale up the self storage business at 24Storage.
“Customers today want to find ways that simplifies their lives. It could be about when and how
you book, how the transportation options look like and how easy you can change the contract
terms instead of signing new contract during opening hours.
Looking at the sales per channel, around 51% of the customers comes through calls, followed
by 25% through web, 13% walk-in and 11% through other channels.
At each facility
The Sales Center is open during weekdays from 8 in the morning till 8 in the evening and in the
they have a big
weekend from 10am to 4pm. During opening hours dedicated staff will answer calls, chat with touch screen
customers through their website, answer emails and distribute access codes to customers. display, so when
At each facility they have a big touch screen display, so when someone that enters the store
someone that
and is interested in renting a unit they can get in touch with the sales center by touching
the screen. He or she will get immediately in contact with a sales agent who will answer all enters the store
questions or if needed to give the potential customer remotely a virtual tour in the facility and is interested
by opening the doors or gates. Paying a contract has never been so easy thanks to Swish. in renting a unit
Thanks to this customer self-service at the location you do not need a manned store to sell
they can get in
merchandise. Just one push on the screen and the sales agent opens the door to the shop
and through the camera they can check what the customer is buying. The sales agent can also touch with the
remotely monitor temperatures in the facility to optimize and potentially reduce energy cost sales center by
and easily access recorded video in case of an incident. touching the
This centralised operational model offers a lot of benefits. Going from higher availability screen.
for customers because they offer extended opening hours versus their competitors to the
flexibility to meet customer demands as they can assist customers through several channels
(such as web, phone, chat or video). Another important benefit is the lower full-time equivalent
cost per facility as you need less staff your facility. 40% of the customers do not meet staff
as everything happens online and most of their stores are unmanned. The last benefit is
standardised processes and dedicated staff for different tasks. “Centralised operations enables
yield of properties smaller than traditional self storage facilities and opens up possibilities for continued from page 24
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 23continued from page 23
more centralized locations of self storage facilities closer to the consumer. We opened three
24Storage started facilities during six months in 2019 without adding new staff”, says Fredrik Sandelin, CEO of
24Storage.
to look at several
Thanks to this model 24Storage have a higher customer accessibility as they have a website
aspects of IT and with transactional e-commerce. In that way it is very easy for a customer to sign and pay
they realised it a contract. Through their website all their customers have the opportunity to login to the
was not just one My Pages service. My Pages is a personal page where you can easily see your payment
thing they had statement, information about your store, have the opportunity to carry out tasks such as
changing stores, changing insurance protection level or cancelling your rental agreement.
to change but
several parts of
the process. What makes the job of a sales agent at 24 so more
interesting than your previous job at a sales center?
We operate everything so easy, as open doors, write
contracts and have a total overview of the sites. It's also Employee that has
worked at a sales
very cool to talk to the customers through a video call. center before
How do people react when you offer them a virtual tour?
Impressed! Many are surprised of the knowledge we
have about the facilities even that we're not there, but
Other
employee also about the remote system.
24 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Why choose to work in
the self storage sector?
A Young Storage Network perspective?
As the self storage industry continues to grow, one of the key elements of a
successful operation is the team on the front line. But how do we entice and
keep quality individuals, prepared to go the extra mile for the business and our
customers, in a pretty much unknown business sector. We have spoken to two
individuals who have recently joined the industry to find out more about why they
An exciting retail chose us! This is what they said:
opportunity was “With no prior industry experience and no personal knowledge of the storage
advertised on a industry, we’d like to let you know why we chose “the storage life”. An exciting retail
opportunity was advertised on a recruitment website to which we both responded
recruitment website
as we were intrigued about the vacancy. After a chat with the recruiter, who was so
to which we both passionate and informative about the business, we decided that we would give it a
responded as we were go.
intrigued about the We found having a recruiter who knew a lot about the business, could answer simple
vacancy questions prior to the interview phase and told us about the potential opportunities
within the industry, hugely helped and sold the role to us.
Following this, we were asked to go away and do some research of our own. We learnt
about the people involved as they had active LinkedIn/social media accounts and
we could see they had a good community vibe about them and prided themselves
on customer service.
continued on page 26
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 25continued from page 25
After being successful in our first interviews, we were asked to do more research and
visited several facilities in and around the area we potentially would be working in to
see the industry better. The numerical and literacy tests were a bit daunting, but we
were sold a vision. Although we had other options available as the employment market
is definitely in favour of the employee rather than the employer, we are now established
team members – Operations Manager (Wendy) and Sales Manager (Alex) at sites in Bury
and Bolton stores.
Six months into our employment, why are we still here?
The first few weeks were incredibly important. We really felt as if we were getting a
quality induction and training into the role and the company. We have both been in
roles previously where after a day, we were left to get on with it. The time spent helping
Targets are an us to understand a more complex industry was vital and we now love that every day is
important factor in different, and we can make those decisions to help solve people’s problems. Whether
our job, as we strive it’s maintaining the high standards of housekeeping to popping the kettle on and listening
to beat our sales and with an attentive ear to our customer’s situations, we never see a dull day in storage.
occupancy targets Targets are an important factor in our job, as we strive to beat our sales and occupancy
targets and be the best store in the group, as well as keeping our stores spotlessly clean
and be the best store
and tidy. Whether it’s an early networking breakfast or a health and safety inspection,
in the group, as well our day-to-day tasks are forever changing and that is one of the reasons we love it. The
as keeping our stores variety and engagement with the Area Manager and Directors make us feel a part of a
spotlessly clean family”.
and tidy. Alex Skuszka and Wendy Scott, Sure Store
From the discussion with Alex and Wendy it became very clear there are 5 main factors
to getting and keeping the right people:
• A quality recruitment process. Requires a passionate recruiter whether in-house or
external and this individual needs to be a believer. If external, have they visited the
site? Do they understand the role? Can they sell it to a potential team member who
may have several options?
• The Interview. Needs to not only explain the role (and all the role including the
less pleasant aspects such as cleaning toilets, dealing with debtors etc.) but sell the
company and the vision. One thing was very clear - these people have choices.
• Training. Spending time in the first few weeks on in-depth training is vital to ensure
they understand what they need to do to be successful in the role.
• Targets. These focus the team and if they are achievable and remunerate the staff
fairly, they will help in long-term retention.
• Fun. Most of all Alex and Wendy and any new storage guru, should enjoy the role.
Having external networking and community activities have helped them become not
only part of the business, but the community in the areas they work.
Both team members have passed their 6-month probation period with Alex also
becoming a member of the Young Storage Network (YSN).
Interested in joining the YSN?
More information and an application form is available
from the website:
https://www.ssauk.com/membership/ysn/
Or, contact:
Hannah Speed, Membership Services Officer, SSA UK
hspeed@ssauk.com
07539 969841 or 01270 623150
26 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 27
28 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020
SSA UK Members to receive Property
Week as part of membership
The SSA UK has negotiated a deal with property week so that each
member will now receive a hard copy of the magazine delivered weekly to
their head office or main store. This is included in the membership fees so
there will be no additional charge to members.
Property Week is the UK’s leading news magazine in the commercial and
residential property market. Packed with news, features, opinion and analysis,
Property Week keeps readers fully briefed on all the latest information from
the property industry, including major deals, development opportunities and
investment prospects.
Property Week’s award-winning editorial team also produces various
Supplements, Sector Reports and Special Focus Features. Each feature
will concentrate on important topics within the industry, from international
matters to financial analysis.
As part of the relationship with the SSA UK there will also be more coverage
of the self storage industry in the magazine as they focus on emerging
industries and the alternatives sector. Already we have seen coverage of
last years FEDESSA conference, the European Self Storage Report and an
article on automation in the industry.
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 29Go Store Self Storage opens in York
A new self storage company has opened its first facility, in York. Go Store Self
Storage Limited was set up 2 years ago by Rory Windham and Norman Galbraith
following the sale of 1st Storage Centres to the Big Yellow group in March 2017.
Windham and Galbraith originally worked together with Alister Jack (Now Secretary
of State for Scotland) in Aardvark self storage, a 9 centre operation which was sold
to Mentmore Abbey in 2002 (now part of Safestore) having been set up first in
Edinburgh in 1995. With about 40 years experience in the industry between them,
both Windham and Galbraith are active members of the Self Storage Association,
Rory currently a board member and Norman having been Chairman about 20
years ago.
York is one of Britain’s best known Historic Cities and much of the centre of town is
renowned for the remnants of the Roman occupation of the City. The new site, in the
north east of the city, opened in late 2019 and is expected to develop in three phases
to 45,000 sq ft net lettable, with potential for external units in due course.
The store has the latest in security; including the Noke Bluetooth access control
system; monitored intruder and fire alarms; CCTV and sliding smart doors in the
loading bay. The smart app on the Noke system allows customers only to access the
parts of the building that their unit is in. The large reception area allows customers,
especially business users, to use it as a sort of business lounge, have a free cup of
Rory and his team tea or coffee, relax on the sofas (or at the bar), and use the free Wi-Fi to catch up
decided to be early on their emails or process orders. The store also has a range of green: credentials.
There is an electric vehicle charging station in the car park, heating is through an
adopters of the Noke
air source heat pump, LED lighting throughout and there is an underground water
system in the UK. attenuation system the same size as a swimming pool under the car park.
Rather than stick to Rory Windham who managed the development of the facility says “York had been a
the tried and tested target town of ours for over 10 years. We found the perfect site that was one of the
systems they had last developable plots just beside the Monks Cross Retail Park, near to one of the first
out-of-town John Lewis stores”. Rory says, “The agents told us we’d never complete
used in the past, they
the deal as the farmer who owned the land had a history of pulling out at the 11th hour
decided to offer a point but we made it our mission to get it over the line. Many hours were spent chewing
of difference to their the fat with him leaning on a gate post, building the relationship which eventually led
customers. to the completion of the deal without any agent involvement.”
“Apart from the challenges of buying in a “ransom strip”, owned by a 3rd party,
between our boundary and the pavement, the major challenges in development
30 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 202045,000 sqft of net lettable
were environmental. York has a large population of Greater Crested Newts which are space over four floors
a protected species under European Law and therefore we were unable to disturb
the ground whilst the newts were in hibernation. Janus construction, featuring
“When the weather turned against us in the summer, and we had some issues with Noke access system
certain subcontractors, this lead to a knock-on effect of other trades being held up.
It was difficult and stressful at times to keep the project on a tight schedule. Monitored intruder
“Since opening, we have filled up pretty much in line with our expectations, along and fire alarms
the median line of our historical “new branch tracker”. Considering we opened a
few months later than we hoped, at the quiet end of the year and in the midst of Tamper sensor doors and
the BREXIT debate and a general election, we are happy with the progress to date. motion sensors inside units
But with three established sites in the City, another new site due to open within
months nearby and the threat of yet another in quick succession thereafter, we are DeSeM lifts
somewhat nervous of the prospect of over development and hence very focussed
on filling as quickly as possible…….there’s not much else we can do about it!”. Manor Electrical – CCTV,
electrical installation, fire
Rory and his team decided to be early adopters of the Noke system in the UK. Rather
than stick to the tried and tested systems they had used in the past, they decided to alarms
offer a point of difference to their customers. “Noke allows our customers to embrace
Northern Structures –
modern technology in the same way we all do in other aspects of our lives”, Rory
says. “You can use an App to do your weekly Tesco order, do your banking, access warehouse shell
the gym or even unlock a car rental, so why not manage your self storage unit with an
App? Security is not compromised and all the units are still linked to our monitored
alarm system. Our NOKE storage rooms have a tamper sensor on each door and a
motion sensor inside the unit, so they are probably more secure than some of the
other access control systems we have used in the past. Because it is app based,
businesses can see at the touch of a button which employees have accessed their
store rooms and when and for how long they were on site.
“The feedback from customers has been positive:” “Quick to set up, units are top
notch! Love the use of technology, adds to the security and accessibility of the place.
Definitely recommend to anyone looking for secure storage units in York” said one
reviewer on Google. “We can even offer a Bluetooth key fob with a unique digital
fingerprint to customers who are less technology focussed, so they can also enjoy
the use of keyless technology without having to download and use a smart phone
app.”
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 31A day in the life of a Membership
Services Officer (MSO)
A typical day in the life of a MSO of the SSA often involves a very early start and a
late finish. Each week is different and I travel to just about every county in the UK
visiting all types of facilities. Sometimes a visit is to a member I know and have met
before but often, I’m meeting a member for the first time. Most visits go smoothly
but sometimes…… they don’t!!
One example was a recent visit to Cornwall in December just before Christmas. It was
a bleak, cold rainy, windy Tuesday. A journey which should have taken approximately
6 hours, actually took over 8 hours due to the heavy rain and hail making it a very
long motorway trip. If that wasn’t enough for the day, I also managed to get stuck
down a very narrow country lane, which wasn’t fit for any vehicle other than a tractor,
in almost complete darkness, whilst trying to find my hotel for the night. It felt like I
was searching for more than an hour but in reality, it was probably just half an hour.
Cold, tired and hungry I checked-in. Having lugged my suitcase to my room, oh boy
was I looking forward to my long-awaited bubbly bath. I’d even remembered to bring
my scented bath bombs!! Imagine my horror when I opened the bathroom door to
find a shower and no bath!!
Member upgrade visits are more than just a day out the office. The planning starts
Upgrade visits are not very early on. There’s a list to check of those members ready for upgrade which is
just about the standard geographically based so multiple visits can be arranged at the same time within a
checks but also offer us reasonable radius of each other. Next, pre-visit paperwork needs sorting and issuing
which is then checked to ensure the member meets the requirements for a visit,
a great opportunity to followed by preparation of on-site documentation. Finally, I mustn’t forget to check
meet members, discuss travel routes and the weather and to pack my snacks and lunch.
any issues and offer Typically, a site visit can last between 1-2 hours as it involves not only the facility and
guidance and support. paperwork checks but also taking photographs. I often get the opportunity to meet
some of the on-site pets too.
Upgrade visits are not just about the standard checks but also offer us a great
opportunity to meet members, discuss any issues and offer guidance and support.
I particularly enjoy seeing members progressing in their facilities and planning to
open more sites.
But it doesn’t end there……. following a visit and subject to a satisfactory check there
is still more to do. Members are given feedback from a visit and where necessary,
any areas that need tweaking are outlined. After the trip it’s back to the office with
the paperwork. Documents are scanned into our membership system, photographs
uploaded, database updates completed, and new Full Membership Certificates
issued. I always mention my visits on social media too and of course update my
colleagues on the visits.
It’s hard work but fun and I wouldn’t want to do anything else.
32 | UNLOCKED Volume 1, 2020Self Storage Events
2020 19 May
AESS Spanish Conference
26 March Madrid
UK Pricing Strategy Workshop
London 29 May
AISI Italy Conference
26 March Milano
UK Regional Members’ Meeting
London 10 June
NSSA Dutch Conference
7 April Rotterdam
UK Selling Self Storage Online
Training Day 25 June
Leeds SSA UK AGM
Manchester
21 April
SSA Sweden Conference 25 June
Stockholm UK Regional Members’ Meeting
Manchester
4 & 5 May
UK Conference 2020 29 September – 1 October
UK Annual Industry Report Launch FEDESSA Conference
& UK Awards Dinner & Trade Show 2020
Birmingham Tivoli Marina, Vilamoura, Portugal
Volume 1, 2020 UNLOCKED | 33You can also read
