Self Storage FOCUS · FOCUS Self Storage 2008 Volume II 7 Self Storage Focus FOCUS may be subscribed to by applying to the SSA Head Ofﬁce at Priestley House, The Gullet, Nantwich,

2008 Volume II

FOCUSSelf Storage

Training – see page 24Customer Care, GlasgowTelephone Sales, London

Training – see page 24Customer Care, GlasgowTelephone Sales, London

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FOCUSSelf Storage

Self Storage Focus2008 Volume II 7

FOCUS may be subscribed to by applying to the SSA Head Office at Priestley House, The Gullet, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5SZ. Tel +44 (0)1270 623150. Fax +44 (0) 1270 623471 E-mail [email protected]. Current annual subscription is £4 per issue in the UK and Eu-rope. EDITORIAL: Contributions on all aspects of the self storage industry are welcomed, and should be sent, together with photographs if appropriate, to the Editor Stephen Webb at [email protected]. Opinions expressed in Self Storage Focus are not necessarily those of the Self Storage Association. ADVERTISING: In the first instance please contact Jane Rowe, Commercial Department, SSA, PO Box 5220, Southend, Reading, RG7 6YE. Tel +44 (0)1635 869427Email [email protected]

CONTENTS

SSA News 8 New Members... Dates for your diary

News 11Big Yellow revenue up 12%... Safestore opens four new stores in only two months… BiG Storage wins High Sheriff’s Award … Planning permission granted to Lok’nStore at Reading… More Crown storage facilities this year…

Company Feature 27Moving from removals to self storage

Recruitement 33Applying science to the art of recruitment

Construction 37Ticking all the boxes

COVERSafestore has recently opened four new stores in the UK. The Glasgow Dobbies Loan store, seen on this month’s front cover is one of two recently opened by Safestore in Glasgow. Located at 9 Canal Street and open seven days a week, it is easily accessed from J16 of the M8.

The SSA UK takes to the roadThis edition of Focus is being circulated prior to the European Conference and Trade Show in Rome where we hope to meet many of our readers. Let me remind you that it takes place at the Sheraton Roma from 7 to 9 May. In the last month the Government has confirmed the reforms to Empty Property Relief. The British Property Federation (of whom we are members), along with other senior bodies in the property world, are continuing to lobby hard on all our behalf against the introduction of the reforms. Nevertheless it would seem that they have not succeeded in changing the Government’s mind. Meanwhile a revised forward-looking strategy for the SSA UK has been under review by the Board. Included in the strategy discussion was the Association’s mission statement. This has now become: “To enhance, promote and support the interests of all those who own, operate and invest in self storage in the UK through raising awareness of self storage and promoting best practice for the benefit of members and their customers.” The Board has also set us a key goal: “To ensure that the SSA UK is, and remains, fully representative of the self storage industry”. As if by magic in support of these changes (but before they were agreed!) we, as a Head Office, have launched ourselves, for the first time, as exhibitors. We ran a stand for a couple of days at the first Movers and Storers Show which was held in late February at the NEC, Birmingham. There we met a few of our members amongst the 1000 or so professional removers and storers who attended as delegates and we were able to talk to a number of companies about membership. Importantly we were able to network with some of our suppliers and other trade associations as well as putting self storage “on the map”. For this event and as a major tool in our recruiting ‘golf bag’ we have recently produced a first class brochure. Copies of this brochure are included in this circulation of Focus. We are not trying to re-recruit current members (!) but we hope it will be of interest to you all and you can all use it to persuade your non-member competitors to join the Association. More copies are available if required. Also falling out of the review is an agreement that we should start to introduce regional members’ meetings. The first of these low-budget events is likely to take place in early June in the north-west region where we will organise an early evening gathering at a reasonably central location. The idea is to provide an opportunity for members and their staffs to come together informally, to have a simple meal and to hear what is happening in the world of self storage. We hope to roll out a programme of these events regularly and see what happens.

Yours sincerely

Rodney WalkerCEO

New Members

On behalf of the Directors and members of the Association we would like to extend a warm welcome to:

Full Operators

● 4 Secure Self Storage, Thetford● Acme Self Storage, Burntwood● Attic Self Storage, Bow● Black Hole Storage, Nr Salisbury● Easy Access Self Storage, Nr Stockport● InnerSpace Self Storage, IOW● Simply Storage, New Malden● S Dell & Sons, Berkhamstead● The Storage Pod, Weybridge● U Store Sandhurst Self Storage, Sandhurst

Provisional Operators

● Bude Self Storage, Bude

Supplier

● Garage Door Systems● DBCi Ltd

Overseas

● Fremont Realty Capital● Tveteraas AS

Deadline for contributions to the Next Issue of Focus

Contributions on all aspects of the self storage industry are welcomed. They should be sent initially to the Editor, Steve Webb. The deadline for the next issue is 6 June 2008.

Dates for the Diary.

7 - 9 May 2008 European Conference and Trade Show in Rome

11 – 12 November 2008 UK Conference in Brighton

Training Dates

10 June 2008“Customer Care” Glasgow

2 July 2008“Telephone Sales” London

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Big Yellow revenue for the quarter ending 31 December 2007 was £14.4mn - up 12% from £12.9mn for the same quarter last year. At the quarter end 1,800,000 sq ft was occupied – up 5% from 1,718,000 sq ft at the same time last year. Big Yellow opened two new stores in the quarter; a 54,400 sq ft store in Ealing and a 60,000 sq ft store in Barking. The 71,600 sq ft Leeds store was transferred to Big Yellow Limited Partnership (“the Partnership”) on 30 November. It now has 45 open stores (all directly owned except Leeds) with a total self storage capacity of 2.75 million sq ft. The company intends to open a further three directly owned stores in this financial year, in Balham (60,000 sq ft), Merton (70,000 sq ft) and its flagship 139,000 sq ft store in Fulham. Since announcing its interim results in November, the company has acquired Kings House, Chiswick. This landmark freehold site fronts the A4 arterial road and it is estimated it will provide over 100,000 sq ft of self storage. The building is currently let to Sotheby’s and vacant possession should be available during 2010. The intention is to refurbish the existing building and therefore a substantive planning permission will not be required.

This brings the total number of sites purchased in the financial year to ten. Big Yellow has also purchased the freehold interest of its existing Cheltenham store, increasingthe freehold (including one long leasehold) proportion of the store portfolio by value to 91%. The number of stores open and sites in planning or under development (including five in the Partnership) now total 73. Of the 28 sites in the development pipeline, 12 have planning permission, with a further three applications submitted. Planning consent has been granted at its site in Twickenham. When complete, this will provide 75,000 sq ft of storage space and will open in summer 2009. James Gibson, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “As indicated in our interim statement in November, trading conditions have been more challenging over our third financial quarter. “That said, December’s performance was better than last year and we are currently experiencing an earlier than usual seasonal pick up. “Visibility of our trading performance is limited at this stage. However, we look forward to seeing whether this improvement continues.”

Lock N Store welcomes the 4,000th customer

Lock N Store welcomed customer number 4,000 since it opened its store in 1988. Located on Hoults Estate in Newcastle it now has 840 flexible do-it-yourself storage units and i t was Kidd & Spoor, a North-East firm of solicitors, that was the 4,000th customer. Carol Nattrass, practice manager at Kidd & Spoor, said: “We have around 600 archive boxes stored at Lock N Store. “There is not enough space in the office for all of our files and Lock N Store seemed the perfect place to store our documents as it is very safe and easy to access. “It is close to our offices and my home so I can get to the

information I need outside of work and at weekends.” Lock N Store offers storage solutions starting from £5 per week in sizes ranging from 16 sq ft lockers to 1,250 sq ft warehouse units. The company offers 24-hour access to units, 365 days a year, with CCTV in every warehouse and on-site security guards outside office hours. The firm also has a forklift truck and operator for use by customers with heavy goods. Lock N Store managing director Fred Hoult said: “The storage industry is continuing to grow, and the 4,500 padlocks, 7,000 boxes and 14km of bubble wrap Lock N Store has sold is proof of this.”

Big Yellow revenue for the This brings the total

Lock N4,000t

Lock N Sto

Big Yellow’s Edmonton store

Corporate colours show feminine touch Cranberry red and tangerine orange are the corporate colours of Kent Space in Chatham. The colours were chosen by Manager Suzanne Knowles and complement the white profile wall system in the corridors built by Active Supply and Design (CDM) Ltd. Kent Space opened its new facility six months after the initial enquiry and contact with Active. The facility incorporates a single tier mezzanine floor with one hour’s fire protection complete with fire blanket fitted within the ceiling voids. The floor is accessed by two staircases; one of which is fire protected by a half hour rated enclosure. Room sizes vary from 18 sq ft to 225 sq ft with one metre cube lockers filling space where applicable in order to maximise the stores profitability.

Active’s turn-key fit-out included a full electrical package incorporating general and emergency lighting, fire alarm, and external lighting. All communications with building control were dealt with by the Active team, leaving Suzanne and her staff to that all important task of selling units.

A corridor showing the tangerine orange doors and cranberry red skirting

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Safestore Holdings PLC reports 24.2% portfolio value increase

Safestore opens four new stores in only two monthsFour new stores have recently been opened by Safestore Holdings plc. They are in Newcastle Walls End, Hayes, Glasgow Dobbies Loan and Glasgow Rutherglen and bring the number of the company’s stores to 105. Their opening follows the successful openings of stores in Slough, Guildford, Eastbourne, Kremlin Bicêtre (Paris), as well as two satellite stores at Burnley and Stevenage in the last year. The four new stores are purpose built self storage facilities and provide close to 230,000 sq ft of MLA, increasing the groups total MLA to 4.6mn sq ft. The new stores – labelled the Fantastic 4 by the company - are all situated in prime locations next to major motorways, highways or retail parks and will help to increase the awareness of Safestore as a brand and self storage as modern solution for domestic and business storage needs. Steve Williams commented: “We are pleased to report that we are in line with our growth strategy with these fantastic four new stores. “We have continued to

increase our development pipeline and remain confident in delivering our expansion programme over the next two years.” Safestore reports it has put a lot of emphasis on the planning of large reception areas to create a welcoming atmosphere where Safestore’s customers get professional and friendly advice. The reception areas were designed to make the customer feel comfortable and wherever possible provide an area for the discrete discussion of their needs. Safestore has a further six stores opening in the UK by the end of June 2008. These will be located in Crayford, Sunderland, Cheltenham, Bristol Filton, Hanworth and Chingford.

Safestore Holdings PLC has reported a 21.7% rise in EBITDA for the full-year ended 31 October 2007. During the year the company increased its occupancy by more than 200,000 sq ft or 7.4% to 2.91mn sq ft. Charges increased 8.3% to an average £21.56 per sq ft. As at the 31 October the property portfolio was valued at £583.7mn, an increase of 24.2%, or £113mn, since 31 October 2006. This represents an increase of 17.4% or £85.8mn since 30 April 2007. Six stores were opened during the financial year. It was also reported that 17 stores are in-plan, with ten due to open in 2008. A further seven planned to open in 2009/2010. This will increase the total number of stores from 104 to 119, with two relocations. Reviewing the year end

report, Chief Executive Steve Williams said: “It has been an exciting year with revenue rising 15.5% to £74.3mn (2006: £64.3mn) with like-for-like store revenue increasing by 14.1% to £72.6mn (2006: £63.7mn).” The Safestore self storage model is based on three key drivers: growth in occupancy, rates per sq ft and ancillary revenue. The number of enquiries has continued to rise during the year. The web and store signage are increasingly becoming the main drivers behind enquiries compared to other channels. “Both have shown good growth, leading to a high level of new lets during the period with the traditionally busy period of spring and early summer being particularly strong,” said Steve. “As at 31 October 2007 we had in excess of 39,000 customers, an increase of 9.2% over the previous year. The average length of stay for current customers has increased to 80 weeks from 73 weeks in October 2006 and 77 weeks in April 2007.” The average rate per sq ft has grown 11.2% to £26.92 in London (2006: £24.20), 4.8% (6.3% in constant currency) to £20.94 in Paris (2006: £19.98) and 7.2% to £17.80 in the rest of the UK (2006: £18.61).Glasgow Rutherglen

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Warrington‘s BiG Storage is celebrating winning the prestigious 2008 High Sheriff’s Award for Enterprise in Cheshire. The winners were announced at a special ceremony at the University of Chester’s Warrington campus last month. His Grace, The Duke of Westminster was the keynote speaker at the event, and discussed his experiences, both as one of the most successful business people in the country and a staunch supporter of the economic prosperity of the area. The High Sheriff of Cheshire, Nicholas Bromley–Davenport, said: “Following on from the success of last year’s Award, I was happy to approve and endorse the event for my year in office. I am delighted by the support shown from all of our prestigious sponsors, who exemplify the quality of enterprise and entrepreneurship in our area.” First place was awarded to BiG Storage, which currently operates from sites in Chester, Warrington, Handforth Dean, Macclesfield, Morecambe and Lancaster. The company offers a combination of domestic self

storage facilities, together with flexible business space. Founded in January 2006, the company has gone from strength-to-strength and within two years BiG Storage claims it has become one of the ten largest self storage and business centre operators in the UK, providing 3000 storage and business space units. BiG Storage’s first prize comprises a free place for one of its managers on an award-winning MBA programme at the University of Chester (value £8,000) plus £5,000 in cash. Partner, Andrew Donaldson, said “It is a proud moment to win this award, which recognises the hard work and dedication of all the BiG Storage team, and their commitment to providing our customers with high quality storage space, good value, and the best service possible. “With the support of our team and our growing base of customers, we can hopefully continue to expand rapidly, opening two to three further facilities each year around the North West, particularly targeting the Cheshire and Greater Manchester area.” The High Sheriff’s Award for Enterprise recognises outstanding achievement

by local private sector companies in Cheshire, Halton and Warrington, with a turnover of at least £1million and between 20 and 250 employees. Judged on ambition, innovation, growth, enterprise and employee and management development, the entrants were also required to explain the way in which they will ensure their company continues to expand in the future. BiG Storage provides the ideal self storage solution for people who are moving house and require temporary or long term space or those

who simply want to de-clutter to make more room at home. Additionally there are numerous inexpensive business storage options available, particularly since rent for prime business space remains consistently high. With units ranging from locker size to half the size of a football pitch and every conceivable variable between, bespoke solutions can also be created so that customers only pay for what they actually need. Each facility is designed to accommodate up to 800 self contained units with prices starting from just £5 per week.

University of Chester’s Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Wheeler; Partner of BiG Storage, Andrew Donaldson; His Grace, the Duke of Westminster, Foundation Chancellor of the University; and former High Sheriff of Cheshire and Founder of the Award, David Briggs

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Personal Storage takes the biscuit in Glasgow

Real-time “what if” store design

Personal Storage Developments Glasgow LLP and Equiom Trust Company Ltd have acquired, from Ivyhouse Investments, the former Gray Dunn biscuit factory in Glasgow. The site overlooks the M8 motorway at Kinning Park and will be transformed into a bespoke self storage building and a high quality office development.

The site is immediately adjacent and accessible to the M8, M77 and proposed M74 extension. Chris Nimmo of Personal Storage said: “We are expanding our self storage business into Scotland and are delighted to have secured such a high profile and sought after location for our first facility.

Aerial view of the Gray Dunn biscuit factory

U.S. Door & Building Components has introduced a Virtual Design Studio for self storage operators. Participants world-wide are able to immediately see how changing their designs will affect their unit mix and self storage project return on investment. “We are now able to work in real-time with our customers,” said Charles “Chip” Cordes, Vice President of U.S. Door & Building Components. “The ability to change unit mixes, discuss different scenarios and show the results instantly saves time and helps our customers understand the best layout

for their facility.” Additional features include financial modeling based on different “what if” scenarios. Monthly and yearly returns can be calculated immediately on-line. The program used allows the customer to navigate to www.gotomeeting.com and click on “Join a Meeting”. With the provided access number, the participant will be live on screen with a representative from U.S. Door. In addition to unit mixes, participants can see “snap shot proformas”, pictures and any other items of interest or relevance to a project.

Full steam ahead for Captain PercyCaptain Peter Percy and his partner Martin Prince have opened a 9,000 sq ft facility at the Alton Business Park, Ross-on-Wye. The new Alton Business Park is a recent development by Freeman Commercial situated on the edge of the town. Ross Self Storage will complement the established Newent Self Storage which has been operating at full capacity.

The new Ross Self Storage building

Property consultant CB Richard Ellis (Scotland) acted for the purchasers, who have secured the building and site. The buildings at 75 Stanley Street extend to a total of 200,000 sq ft with the total site being around 4.1 acres (1.66 hectares).

Keep your company’s name in the public eyeKeeping the name of your self storage company in front of the public is an on-going task for self storage operators. Therefore, never pass up a chance of supporting local charity events, particularly if the Lady Mayor is present, because where she is, the press will also be there.

SSA member Britannia Legerstar Self Store Limited was one of the sponsors of the Rotary Easter Quarter Marathon held with a start and finish on Boscombe’s esplanade. The company had its liveried self store company van there acting as a secure and covered registration

Britannia Ledgerstar van being used as a race registration point

point. The Lady Mayor of Bournemouth, Councillor Anne Filer started the well supported road race of 300 entrants with many of the local running clubs represented. The winner’s time for the quarter marathon was 34 minutes.

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Morton Grove Village in Illinois, USA is considering taxing self storage. Mayor Rick Grier stated publicly that “this is something we’re looking at for some revenue enhancement.” Officials hope to raise $50,000 from the new 5% tax. The Self Storage Association in the USA typically advocates in favour of the self storage industry at national and state levels. As the national organisation, it is not always possible to address problems at the city, town or municipal level. However, occasionally unique or precedent setting issues arise that may warrant attention from the Association, wrote Michael Scanlon, President and Chief Executive of the Association, in a recent weekly on-line news letter to members. The SSA delivered a letter to the attorney and administrators of the small Illinois village which read in part: “We are sympathetic to your need to boost revenues to meet budget targets, however, to do so at the expense of your local self storage operators and their tenants represents an unmerited attempt to transfer this burden to those who have invested in your area and/or are the very citizens already struggling to make ends meet.

Planning permission granted to Lok’nStore at Reading

Executive of Lok’nStore Group, said: “We are delighted to obtain this planning permission for our valuable Reading site. We have already obtained planning permission for a larger store on our adjacent land and are looking forward to building and opening this exciting new store. This planning permission enables the execution of our strategy at Reading. “This project is in line with our core strategy of continually reviewing and actively managing our operating portfolio, to ensure we are maximising its value. This includes strengthening our distinctive brand, increasing the size of our stores and moving or selling stores or sites when it will increase shareholder value.”

“Self storage operators are not in the sales business. They are no different than landlords who rent apartments, retail space, health care or office space. Singling out this real estate sector, while not instituting such a levy on other real estate businesses is the definition of a capricious, unfair policy.” Luckily, Ken Livingstone hadn’t heard about this wheeze!

Lok’nStore has obtained planning permission for residential development on the freehold site of its existing Reading store. The local planning committee originally rejected the application but the appeal has now been upheld and permission has been granted. The permission for 112 flats on the 0.66 hectare site will result in a significant uplift in value. The company already has planning permission for a new larger 53,500 sq ft store on its site opposite the existing store. The prominence and modern look of the new store, with its distinctive orange livery, will position Lok’nStore in a highly visible and easily accessible location adjacent to the A33 at the gateway to Reading. The existing self storage business will be moved into the new store once it is complete. In due course the existing store site is likely to be sold with the benefit of its permission for residential development and the proceeds will be reinvested in further sites for new stores. The two properties in Reading are currently valued together on the company’s balance sheet at £2.14 mn (NBV). Andrew Jacobs, Chief

Andrew Jacobs

Small Illinois village wants tax on self storage facillities

Alan and Caroline Binning of The Storage Company (Didcot) Ltd enjoyed the good life in Portugal thanks to winning the Reason Global Insurance business card raffle at last year’s SSA Conference in Paris. The raffle was a week’s holiday for two in a comfortable apartment an hour north of Lisbon and right beside a golf course. The couple enjoyed a day in Lisbon and a visit to a vineyard to view the pressing of the grapes for wine.

Alan relaxes

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Lift for more lettable space at Acme Self Store

More Crown storage facilities this year

Storage capacity has been increased at Acme Self Store site in Burntwood, Staffordshire. This has been achieved by installing a Mezz Lift from Penny Hydraulics to handle items between the ground and first floors. “Without the Mezz Lift we would struggle,” says Judith Randle, in charge of customer services at Acme Self Store. “We can now use more of the storage rooms on the first floor as we continue to build the business.” The Mezz Lift has been installed on the ground floor and is surrounded by a safety cage to prevent unauthorised people from approaching the unit when in use. The standard steel platform is ideal for the boxed loads that need to be handled between floors. Compact design minimises the Mezz Lift’s footprint

without restricting the available storage space and working area. It is available in a range of configurations with a maximum working load of 250kg at heights up to 4.0m. Bespoke versions are also available to meet customers’ specific requirements. Robust construction using steel components ensures the Mezz Lift can be installed indoors or outdoors for reliable and productive use. Self-contained hydraulic power provides smooth and precise operation with no need for a floor pit. The Mezz Lift is supplied with its own motor pump unit and can be installed in any location where there is a standard 240V 13A mains power supply. The lifting speed of 0.5m/s means that a four metre distance between the ground floor and mezzanine is covered in just eight

Mezz Lift installed at Acme Self StoreSmartly liveried Smart car with staff members Eddie Doig and Andy Doulton

Flag flying high

Crown Storage will be opening three more sites in Somerset and Wiltshire this year. They will no doubt have the trade mark 80ft flag staff flying the Union flag and be designed in the fashion of Crown Self Storage’s recently opened facility in Roche, Cornwall. Situated on the Cornish Victoria Business Park, close by the A30, the store comprises of 1799 sq m of net lettable space in its 195 units ranging in size from 2.2 cu m lockers to 150 sq m rooms. Customers can access the larger units on the periphery of the site by parking beside the doors, with the remainder of the rooms in the central building. All the outside paving is brick. The store is open 24/7 accessed by customers with a dedicated swipe card which gives access to the site and the main building. Doors of the central

building automatically close after a set time and can be re-opened from within at the press of a button. The fit-out has been completed by Steel Storage with PTI guarding the facility. Camwatch oversees the site through CCTV with loudspeakers to warn off intruders or help bemused customers, while Red Care guards against fire.

seconds. A unique hold-to-run system promotes safety by stopping the lift whenever the control lever is released. Additional safety features include overload protection and interlocked gates that prevent entry to the working area while the lift is moving are available as an option.

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DO NOT ATTEND IF YOU AREHAPPY TO LET VALUABLEENQUIRIES SLIP THROUGHYOUR FINGERS!

The courses are carried out in a relaxed and informal environment encouragingdelegates to develop and enhance their skills.

Geoff Langston has worked with SSA UK to develop thiscourse using his extensive experience of working withall levels of management.

Self Storage Association UK • T: 01270 623150 • E: [email protected] • www.ssauk.com

FIRST IMPRESSIONS COUNT –DO YOU PASS THE TEST?10 JUNE IN SCOTLAND (NEW DATE)CUSTOMER CAREFor all front line, customer facing staff:

� Improve communication� Understand the impact that YOU have on the customer� How attitudes and behaviours affect customer service� How to identify “moments of truth” and convert to sales� Deal effectively with customer comments� Improve team morale and staff retention

Workshop Content� Getting to know each other – networking� Customer service trends� What IS great customer service?� Customer care skills� Managing attitudes and behaviours� The customer journey

TRAINING IS KEYTO YOUR SUCCESS

(FOR MEMBERS ONLY)

2 JULY IN LONDONTELEPHONE SALES� Are you maximising your telephone sales?� Are you asking for the business EFFECTIVELY every time?� How quickly can you convert telephone enquiries to sales?

Workshop Content� Sales Communication: HOW TO explain your product to

the customer in a way that is interesting to THEM!

� Presentation Structure: We all know our product insideout, but hereʼs how to structure a presentation and makeit easy to comprehend for that all important person –the prospective customer!

Through his tried and tested, no-nonsense techniques,Steve Bent sheds considerable light on how to achievethe answer to the all important question: “When is theright time to ask for the business?”

integrated self-storage security products

For more information:

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Entry and Exit Planfrom

PTI Integrated Systems (UK) LimitedEnsure maximum profitability from a business plan in the self storage industry

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Consult with the foremost experts in self storage management & security systems in the design of your facility for best operation & efficiency

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CAPITALISE ON YOUR INVESTMENT

Enter

Moving from removals to self storage

The recently fitted out North Brighton store with its huge pvc sign.

The Hove storage centre is on two floors

The Rayner brothers started their entrepreneurial career from scratch in 1982. Twenty-six years later they have a self storage company, Big Box, with an estimated turnover this year of £6mn and store EBITDA in excess of £4mn. In that timescale the company has acquired seven freehold properties, and one leasehold, with a maximum lettable area of storage rooms and office space of 544,029 sq ft. So where did it all start? It started as a removals company based at Ditchling Common Industrial Estate in Sussex. It was from this site that Mike and eldest brother Arthur – no longer with the company - started a removals and storage company called Arts. Peter, now 42, joined later. The brothers were innovators in introducing drop-bodies to removals using a skeletal draw-bar and trailer for European removals. The concept allowed loads to be split and delivered to different parts of Europe, with

the drivers meeting and swapping the bodies where and when necessary. Peter still holds his HGV licence and was adept at backing the lorry and trailer under two dropped bodies standing on their legs. However, the advent of the single European market meant the expertise in customs procedures required for deliveries to Mediterranean countries was no longer needed. The

result was that rates were slashed as anybody could fund a week’s holiday in the sun by hiring a van, loading it in the UK and delivering in Spain, and then spending few days on the beach! In 1995 Mike and Peter started offering self storage at the Ditchling Common site, in the one leasehold building they have of 42,240 sq ft, while still operating the removals side. In 1997 they acquired a 37,751 sq ft net lettable building in East Brighton. “The transition from removals to self storage was not difficult. We used the cash flow from the removals business

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The Ipswich store is on three floors

The Maidstone store is on two and three floors.

to fund the initial self storage fit-out. Once the self store was self funding we went to the bank for support funding. In 1999 we sold Arts. Moving from removals to self storage was what you might call a no-brainer,” said Peter. On 1 December 2007 Big Box opened another self storage and business centre in Hollingbury, Brighton. It is unusual in having the car parking for 120 cars and vans on the roof, reached via an external spiral driveway with access parking bays at each floor. Because of this, and unlike most other self storage facilities, it is being fitted-out from the top floor down and the reception is currently on the top floor. The building is a substantial 1960’s structure that was previously part of an engineering works with 93,526 sq ft of net lettable space. (Other parts of the site are occupied by the local police). There will be 16 to 18 offices with mezzanine floors, probably accommodating up to eight people each, covering 11,000 sq ft on the two sides of the building which have large windows. Business units with a total of 12,000 sq ft will be on other floors. Away

from the natural light on each floor will be the remaining 70,000 sq ft of self storage rooms. The offices will be accessible 24 hours, but the self storage units are open seven days a week during supermarket-type hours. Each floor is 4.2m high; not quite high

enough for a mezzanine and something which Peter who, with his brother Mike, now owns the company, reckons put off other self storage operators. To use the space efficiently SAS is building double-stacked units with wheeled access stairs to the upper units. The second floor will have larger business units, varying in size from 260 sq ft to 500 sq ft, which will be ideal for

light assembly work or for a packing and dispatch company. In due course, when floors are fitted out, the reception will move to the original ground floor front door which is beside a loading bay. There are five access doors, one to each floor and two on the ground floor. This means the building unusually has vehicle access to the three floors. Lifts also serve each floor. The versatility of the layout means customers have a variety of choices for space. Peter has found in the past, with their other buildings, customers would out-grow self storage space; now they can just move to larger business units within the building. The self storage facility is on a road from the A27 leading to a large ASDA store with a considerable amount of traffic and the University is nearby. A huge PVC sign, two stories high, adorns the corner facing down the road. It is changeable and, according


H A L L W A Y S Y S T E M S - B U I L D I N G S - M O B I L E A N D P A L E T T E - F L O O R S Y S T E M S - O F F I C E - D O O R S


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Terry Chapman and Mike’s daughter, Grace, with Peter and Mike Rayner

to Peter, good value for money. A lime green and blue livery for the exterior of the building is currently being used with large areas of white. Peter believes in evolution and seeing how

things work out rather than plunging in first time; hence panels on the windows trialling various colours. The Hollingbury facility, designated Brighton North, is not the latest to open. This accolade goes to the company’s Newhaven facility which received its first customer in mid-February. Active Supply & Design were given the rush-job to fit out the building with its mezzanine floor. The building will provide 23,430 sq ft net lettable and plans are afoot to build an extension on the front

of the building to increase capacity to nearly 40,000 sq ft Peter is an advocate of small rooms; they can give a return of £35 - £40 per sq ft he claims. To increase the number

of smaller units, alcoves have been designed in the Newhaven lay-out that provides five small units leading off an alcove. “We lose the space of the alcove, but gain on the additional revenue from the space overall,” explains Peter. Other stores are a 40,061 sq ft net lettable building in Hove, Ipswich with 72,204 sq ft, Maidstone with 94,844 sq ft and Norwich with 103,340 sq ft.

The Norwich Big Box storage centre is on two floors, with rooms ranging from 10 sq ft to 300 sq ft. Small storage lockers are also available. Also available at this centre is 20,000 sq ft of 24-hour business units, ranging from 250 sq ft to 2,000 sq ft.


www.driversjonas.com/selfstorage

There are few property consultants who rival DJ’s knowledge and experience in the self storage sector.

For more information on how we can assist you call Ollie Saunders on 020 7896 8149 or email: [email protected]

Margaret O’Sullivan is a business psychologist who is working with a select number of self storage operators.

The self storage industry is growing at an astounding rate, in the region of 10-15% each year. Already employing some 2000 people the need for reliable employees is increasing all the time. Making the wrong decision can have serious consequences for your business as the costs of continually going through the recruitment process stack up. Too often we make the decision to employ someone based on gut feelings, common sense and years of experience. But does this really give you the opportunity to choose the right candidate or are you leaving things down to guess work? Traditional recruitment methods tend to rely on application forms and CV information to screen an individual for relevant experience. Experience is often irrelevant, particularly in the self storage industry and at management level. This is because of the way that new jobs are created, developed and constantly change. Most people presume standard methods provide good data to go on. Wrong. Experience alone is a very poor predictor of success with an estimated 40% of CVs falsified in some way (Mail on Sunday September 2007). These relatively unreliable methods are often followed with another unreliable method: the traditional interview. They are time consuming, costly and an interview based on false

CV presumptions can only lead to a wrong employee choice. But how do I know for sure that these well-established methods aren’t hitting the mark? I work with several companies in the self storage industry including ABC Self Store. Linda Bent, Group Operations Manager said: “We have tried every traditional recruitment method from advertising ourselves, to using recruitment consultants but finding the good candidates seemed to be luck rather than design.” Paul Fahey, Co-Owner of BiG Self Storage and President of FEDESSA faced similar problems, he said: “We’d tried direct advertising followed by the traditional interview process based on a CV but we had difficulty attracting, selecting and retaining the right calibre of staff.”

How do I get it right next time?

There are two ways to find out about an applicant – hire them and follow them around for six months or use data to find out what a person is like before appointment, thereby avoiding any nasty surprises. The best decisions come from a place of knowledge and information - not an idea, feeling or instinct. I help companies attract, select and retain high calibre staff by using an approach which focuses on an individual’s ability and propensity to get on well with those around them, using objective criteria for the initial screening process. Businesses are able to tap into a much wider employee market. I help them hire and grow a culture of people who are

hard working, trustworthy and loyal and match people to the right jobs. You can implement some of the same techniques within your business by designing adverts that win hearts and minds and attract a large pool of suitable applicants. I write adverts to attract as large a pool of applicants as possible. I usually recommend smaller adverts, that still look good, placed frequently. The right person may not always be available during a one-week period so you have to cast your net as wide as possible. Don’t over specify as you reduce your potential pool of candidates and spelling out duties will put off some of the better people from applying. Don’t obsess over hiring people with all the skills and experience, you can add skills but the wrong attitude in the first place is not going to work. Hire those people who can pick up skills quickly as they will be much more productive. Paul also said: “I’ve been an operator in this industry for the last eight years and in that time have also acted as a consultant to over 30 operators from across western and eastern Europe and the Middle East. Invariably my clients have struggled with the same issue; working out what type of person will be right for a self storage facility manager. The reality is finding the right person is less about past experience and more about recruiting a person with a set of skills, including their ability to learn quickly, loyalty, honesty and a natural flair for sales, combined with their personality.”

Applying science to the art of recruitment

O F F I C E - B U I L D I N G S - H A L L W A Y S Y S T E M S - F L O O R S Y S T E M S - D O O R S - M O B I L E A N D P A L E T T E


The supplier for

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Storage players.


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Are they the right fit for your business?

If your adverts are friendly, with good contact details, applicants should be able to phone or email the person named in the job description as their future superior/working colleague. This is the stage to resolve potential fit problems rather than after you have made an appointment. This is a good place to ask a potential applicant to complete a motivational task – such as a one page review of your published accounts; this task will depend on the level of the post. This immediately shows you the candidate’s level of motivation for the task in hand and their commitment to working for your business.

Don’t interview in the same old way I provide a business with a list of the most suitable applicants to interview

about their technical knowledge and experience of the business. Don’t focus on experience and qualifications, look for more telling information. Interviews should be about assessing applicants on their ability to solve novel, day-to-day problems and a willingness to co-operate and help. And what happens when science and recruitment meet in the perfect marriage? Remember ABC Self Store? In one round of recruitment, they would struggle to find one good candidate, when they changed their methods they found two very strong store managers. “I would definitely recommend Margaret, the candidates that she put in front of us were of a much higher calibre than we would normally be able to attract. You know exactly what you are going to get when they arrive, you know that they are able to do the job and will fit into the team,” said Linda. Paul thinks recruiting this way has made his life easier. He said: “It has turned our recruitment on its head, I

don’t see anyone until they have been screened and the cost of Margaret’s service is far outweighed by the benefit of retaining great staff and the reduced costs of continually recruiting and training.” You already know the costs of getting hiring decisions wrong can be very expensive. Use data instead of your gut feelings to get ahead in the recruitment game and improve your business.

Margaret O’Sullivan may be contacted on 01925 486619/ Mobile 07801 692140. [email protected]

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When it comes to specifying exterior composite panel systems for the construction of storage facilities, there are many issues to consider. Richard Wigley, Business Development and Marketing Manager for Eurobond, discusses how to ensure a building design will meet modern demands.

A fire at a self storage facility can have the most devastating affect, due to the personal nature of the goods stored inside. It is therefore crucial that any building design addresses, in particular, fire spread with fire performance often being the defining factor of the specification process. Understanding the true level of fire performance afforded by a product is vital and part of this process is to delve a little deeper into what manufacturers say about their products and what they actually mean. Some manufacturers claim to offer ‘non-combustible’ building systems based on the premise that when first exposed to fire they will not burn immediately - this can mislead specifiers. Not helping the situation is the fact that the only recognised standards for fire performance in this sector aren’t fully understood. Many look towards the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) LPS 1181 testing when assessing the contribution to fire growth of different composite panels. However, just because a system meets LPS 1181 testing - this does not mean it is non-combustible. Helping to confuse matters further is a lack of awareness of the different

grades of LPS 1181: Grade EXT-A and EXT-B. Recent research by Eurobond found that less than 15% of specifiers looked for Grade EXT-A specifically when assessing fire performance, yet it is a key differential when trying to

likely that the steel faces will bend and the most vulnerable component - the insulation core, will be exposed. Finding out how that core would then react should therefore be paramount. Composite cladding panels that have been manufactured using a non-combustible core such as mineral wool, for example, will never ignite in the event of a fire, as the material is made of stone and will not burn. The panels therefore contribute no additional risk of fire spread or smoke. In comparison, foam cored panels such as PIR/PUR will ignite at around 450°C and with temperatures hitting 900-1000°C in a typical post-flashover room fire, the risk of fire spread is therefore very real, if combustible cored panels such as these are used. This distinction between combustible and non-combustible cores formed the basis of the decision by The Big Yellow Self Storage Company to use Eurobond’s Europanel Lite panels as the cladding of choice for its Edmonton depot and around 19 other planned buildings around the country.

Wh it t if i d f LPS

Ticking all the boxes

determine which composite cladding panels to specify. If a manufacturer’s product only refers to Grade EXT-B - this is purely a ‘reaction to fire’ test with no measure of ‘fire resistance.’ For a product to truly offer protection in relation to ‘fire resistance’ rather than just ‘reaction to fire’, a composite cladding system needs to resist the transfer of heat from the exposed to unexposed face and retain its integrity whilst being subjected to the conditions of a real fire. This is tested under Grade EXT-A, which involves the system not only undergoing the basic LPS 1181 test, but also demonstrating its fire resistance in accordance with BS476 Part 22, the standard for the Methods for Determination of the Fire Resistance of Non-Loadbearing Elements of Construction. BS476 Part 22 simulates the post-flashover stage of a fire through to a fully developed fire, sustained for the duration the test. This is crucial in determining a composite cladding system’s true fire performance, as once a fire is fully developed it is

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The supplier for

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Reason Global Insurance is a trading name for Reason and Co (SE) Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority

The decision was based on the Europanel Lite’s fire rating – manufactured from a non-combustible mineral wool core, and tested to BS476 part 22, LPCB Grade EXT-A and Grade EXT- B and Factory Mutual standards the panels help limit the spread of flames in the event of a fire, providing up to four hours fire resistance. Insuring against fire is a minimum requirement for any facility that is a member of the Self Storage Association. According to David Scanlon, Partner, at the Mountford Pigott Partnership the reason for the specification at Big Yellow was simple: “Premiums in the reinsurance market increased some years ago for properties using cladding with PIR or PUR cores. It therefore made sense to specify fire resistant products from the outset that meet with insurers’ requirements and don’t penalise clients in the long term.” In addition, aesthetics are often an important element of the product choice. For high profile storage facilities such as Big Yellow, clean, uninterrupted facades are often a

requirement. Older storage facilities can also benefit from refurbishments with composite cladding panels, the use of which can enhance a tired exterior with an eye-catching and updated look. The Europanel system offers a secret fix joint detail and consistent, high quality architectural flatness for improved aesthetics as an additional benefit. True design flexibility is possible as modules are available from 300mm -1200mm in 5mm increments, enabling feature bands to be provided in relatively small quantities. In terms of environmental impact, recycling and reuse of building materials is now high on the construction industry’s agenda. Many manufacturers claim the ‘recyclable’ badge but few have proved their products to be truly recyclable; whereby all component parts can be genuinely reused to make the same products again. Europanel has already undergone successful trials to demonstrating that it can be part of a closed-loop recycling process. Both the panel steel and mineral wool core

can be effectively re-processed to make new product. Anyone with the responsibility of specifying composite panels for a storage facility has a duty of care to ensure building materials meet the requirements of the building. When it comes to composite cladding systems, those manufactured using a mineral wool core, such as Europanel, provide the highest levels of fire safety, low environmental impact and eye catching modern design. All in all, they tick the right boxes for any self storage facility.

For further information and contacts visit www.eurobond.co.uk

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2008 Volume II

EUROPESelf Storage

Report from the Spanish Self Storage Association Conference

Report from the Spanish Self Storage Association Conference

NOT ONLY THE BELGIAN ATOMIUM

IS EUROPE’S FINEST


Cavale 1 - Demerstraat 10 - 3590 Diepenbeek - � +32 (0)11 32 16 72 - � +32 (0)11 33 22 64

Cavale 2 - Industrielaan 6 - 3590 Diepenbeek - � +32 (0)11 35 25 90 - � +32 (0)11 37 18 03

[email protected] - www.cavale.be

For further contact:

Cavale, located and based in BELGIUM are the manufacturers and suppliers of theFINEST SELF STORAGE PRODUCTS.

CAVALE supplies many of the main European Self Storage Companies.

Cavale is providing and installing throughout Europe the finest self storage products available.

Manufacturer and component supplier of roll up doors, swing doors, various hallway systems, compartment walls,mezzanine floors, double deck systems, island deck systems, mobile units, palette units, various types of direct access buildings, steel constructions and multilevel buildings.

Cavale can supply all the needs and solutions to the Self Storage Industry from advice on storage unit configura-tions to complete “Turnkey Projects”. We pride ourselves on our computer aided design and manufacturing systemswhich can accommodate any enquiry. Our Sales and Design teams will provide all the answers to optimize the layoutof an individual site to maximise your revenue that will work within your budget and the site. We can project managefrom conception, feasibility, design, planning, construction, fabrication, manufacturing, fitting out, operational software to handover. Cavale has a vast catalogue of self storage components and a large portfolio of designs of completed contracts.

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CAVALE_ADV FOCUS_19-02-08:Layout 3 20-02-2008 15:39 Pagina 2

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EUROPESelf Storage

Self Storage Europe2008 Volume II 5

FOCUS may be subscribed to by applying to the SSA Head Office at Priestley House, The Gul-let, Nantwich, Cheshire CW5 5SZ. Tel +44 (0)1270 623150. Fax +44 (0) 1270 623471 E-mail [email protected]. Current annual sub-scription is £4 per issue in the UK and Europe. EDITORIAL: Contributions on all aspects of the self storage industry are welcomed, and should be sent, together with photographs if appropriate, to the Editor Stephen Webb at [email protected]. Opinions expressed in Self Storage Focus are not necessarily those of the Self Stor-age Association. ADVERTISING: In the first instance please contact Jane Rowe, Commercial Department, SSA, PO Box 5220, Southend, Reading, RG7 6YE. Tel +44 (0)1635 869427Email [email protected]

CONTENTS

News 6Casaforte increases its storage facilities in Italy… Mini Storage opens maxi storage self storage in Ireland

AESS Conference 8Successful second Spanish Self Storage Association Conference held in Madrid.

USA 12Taking the temperature in the US market

COVER

Easybox’s central Milan self store is featured on this month’s front cover. Easybox Selfstorage has two facilities in Rome – Aurelai and Centro; three in Milan – Nord, Centro and Est and one recently opened in Genoa. SSA Conference delegates will have the opportunity to visit the 9,500 sqm Easybox Centro store, with its 1100 units, as well as a Casaforte store.

All change in EuropeI have absolutely no hesitation in starting this foreword with the blatant marketing of our European Conference and Trade Show which takes place at the Sheraton Roma in Rome from 7 to 9 May. The turnout of suppliers for the Trade Show is magnificent and we have already sufficient evidence to confirm that the delegate numbers will be very good. But that isn’t good enough! We want to break our previous records; so please come along. Bring your colleagues and your competitors; all are welcome. As we put the final pieces of the jig-saw together for Rome there have been two important announcements from major self storage players in Europe, Shurgard Europe and City Self-Storage. On 1 April (and I assume it was not a spoof!) Shurgard Self Storage Europe announced that “its shareholder Public Storage had come to an agreement for a third party institutional investor, the New York Common Retirement Fund (NYCRF), to acquire a 51% interest in Shurgard Europe for approximately 383 million Euro (subject to an adjustment for operating results of Shurgard Europe for Q1 2008). Public Storage will retain a 49% interest in Shurgard Europe and will continue, as a managing member of a joint venture, to support Shurgard Europe in the implementation of its ambitious growth strategy. The existing Shurgard Europe management team will continue operations in Brussels, Belgium.” “This transaction will enable us to continue our growth path and our business expansion as planned,” said Shurgard Europe CEO, Steven De Tollenaere. “In 2007 we expanded to 174 storage facilities all over Europe. We are now perfectly positioned with great shareholders and strong funding to accelerate our development program and undertake acquisitions, increasing product and brand awareness in Europe.” Meanwhile we have learnt that City Self-Storage has closed its office in London and moved its operations to Oslo where Selvaag, a construction company and the parent company for City Self-Storage, is based. Tone Wicklund-Hansen has been appointed CEO with Jan Lund as the new CFO and Bjørn Aanensen as the Property Director. We wish the new team well and look forward to continuing our excellent relationships with this multinational company. I would also like to take the opportunity of thanking Jerry Dunn and Katrine Vikingstad for their support to FEDESSA over the years; maybe they will re-appear somewhere else in the future! And whilst talking of change it gives me great pleasure to announce and introduce Christopher Johns who is joining me imminently to drive FEDESSA forward. He will be based in the UK office but you will all soon hear from him. He will certainly be in Rome where we look forward as always to meeting up with many of you.

Yours sincerely,

Rodney Walker Secretary General

Casaforte increases its storage facilities in ItalyThe first self storage facility opened in Italy in September 2000. Now Casaforte has 21 facilities: 19 in Italy and two in Switzerland, with plans to open four more this year. All are strategically located in the main provincial capitals, busiest cities and industrial areas. Casaforte Self-Storage, owned by Gruppo Carcano, Transporti & Logistica, which has operated in the transport and logistics sector since 1920, firstly had to teach the

citizens of two nations the advantages of self storage. Italians are not familiar with the concept of self service; therefore self storage, at its inception, meant nothing to the Italians at the beginning of this decade. There wasn’t even a word for self storage in Italian - so the company has spent a lot of time and energy explaining to people how to use it. Cesare Carcano of Casaforte explains: “The media campaigns in the early years consisted of single advertisements in local newspapers informing potential users on the advantages of self storage and how to use it. This has progressed to campaigns in regional and national newspapers with a variety of full, half and quarter-page

advertisements. Campaigns in Libero, La Repubblica, Il Gironale and Il Sole 24 ore are examples of initiatives clearly aimed at giving maximum visibility to the Casaforte brand. “Local and regional TV has been used alongside the press with 15 and 30 second commercials illustrating, with goods being stored in boxes, the advantages of self storage and our facilities available in the area”. TV commercials have been shown to back up the company’s facilities in Milan, Saronno, Busto Arsizo, Treviso, Genoa and Biella. Householders moving home have found that self storage is useful to store

goods for a short period when relocating. This has led to a demand for the total move to be handled by Casaforte, hence the inauguration of Casaforte Group Self Storage and Removals. The launch has been backed by the creation of a new logo and promotional campaign in the local and national press.

Padova store

The Milano store

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Mini Storage opens maxi self storage in Ireland

response to the demands customers are making with more than 1,900 storage units ranging from 1 sq m right up to 100 sq m and the first 24-hour drive-through facility in the capital. “The impression of self storage facilities has been one of the old “Lock Up” mentalities but this new approach tackles that. We have an interior architect-designed reception area which includes a coffee dock, children’s play area and other family friendly facilities. All parking is under cover with a full set of trolleys and lifts to all five floors. “Security and flexibility are also huge factors,” adds George. “All our storage

storage facility, unload or load and drive out again at any time of the day or night. The internal drive-through can cater for vans up to 3.35 metres in height.” Access is also a huge issue for these clients and

George Bulman in front of the new Dublin store

Coffee station and play area

booked by females and we’ve built this facility from the ground up with that in mind. That’s why all our parking is indoor, trollies are easily accessible and we’ve invested heavily in a female-friendly reception area with coffee dock and separate children’s play area. It has a shopping centre feel about it – and that’s very deliberate”. The 160,000 sq ft lettable store includes 1,900 mini storage units. So what type of items are being stored? “The variety is huge,” says George. “Our female clients tend to have an emotional attachment to an item and want to feel secure in the knowledge it is safe. It is not just an object to them. It is a good memory, a part of a fantastic skiing holiday with the girls, a coffee table given by their late grandmother, old toys from their first-born child, now all grown up.” Established in 1991 in the Mahon Industrial Park, Blackrock, Cork, Mini Storage has just recently been accredited with ISO 9001:2000 quality standard. It is the first self storage facility to achieve this accreditation in Ireland and is one of the few self storage facilities in the UK and Europe to have this qualification.

Three Minis abreast in the covered area

Mini Storage, the Cork-based company, has just invested ˛12.5 million in a custom-built facility just off the M50 in Dublin. The five-floor, 220,000 sq ft building is a purpose-built storage facility ten minutes from Dublin Airport and just off Ireland’s busiest motorway - the M50. “It’s a perfect location for both residential and commercial users,” claims Mini Storage’s George Bulman. Self Storage in Ireland was practically non-existent a decade ago but the Republic’s property boom has changed all that. First, most new households don’t even have a garage or an attic and second the massive boom in apartment living has meant householders are literally bursting at the seams. These factors have led to the industry taking off in Ireland. Purpose-built self storage developments are fast dotting the fringes of cities across the country in what is now a multi-million euro business. Up until now facilities have been somewhat basic – but all that has just changed with the opening of Mini Storage Ireland’s latest state of the art facility in Dublin. “We needed to raise the bar when it came to Mini Storage facilities in Ireland,” says George. “Our new facility, with 160,000 lettable sq ft, has been built in

of that in the new facility in Dublin by building the first 24-hour drive-through section for this sector. They can drive up, enter their security code, drive straight to their

Park - are security coded and can be accessed 24-hours a day. “This is a huge plus for the commercial side of the market. Self employed workers don’t like storing valuable equipment where it’s either not secure or difficult to access, but they can store it safely with 24-hour access in our facilities. We’ve taken note

Interchange, just off the M50. George believes the boom in this sector is only beginning. In the States and UK, self storage has become huge. “The market is in its infancy here and with the changing lifestyles here we are certain to follow suit. The key for us is to be the most modern, secure facility and we are constantly innovating to continue to be the market leaders. For example, we have just installed personal wine cellars. We recognised that no facility existed like this – so we wanted to be the first.” Turning to the residential market George said: “Sixty-five per cent of all residential self storage in Ireland is now being

facilities - we have two more in Cork, one in Marina Commercial Park and the other in Blackrock Business

the new facility is in the Northern Cross Business Park at the Finglas

Self Storage Europe2008 Volume II 7

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Éxito de la 2ª Conferencia de la AESS en Madrid’En esta segunda ocasión, Madrid ha sido el marco elegido para celebrar la conferencia española de Self Storage. La reunión, a la que

de más de 20 años en el mercado norteamericano con los asistentes de la conferencia. Al finalizar su exposición, la señora Ballard concluyó:

“Auguro un buen futuro a España en lo que a Self Storage se refiere, es un mercado en plena expansión al que veremos crecer muy rápido en los

La segunda edición de la conferencia española coincidió –además- con la presentación oficial de la nueva gerente de la asociación, la señora Sandra Noy. Sus principales retos al frente de la AESS serán; mejorar la atención a los socios, captar nuevos miembros y garantizar la calidad del servicio y de las instalaciones de todos los operadores españoles de Self Storage. “Estamos muy satisfechos con los resultados de esta segunda

próximos años” El miércoles, fueron Fernando Arcos (Director de la Agencia Industrial de Cushman & Wakefield en Madrid) y Tony Loughran (responsable de los servicios de Consultoría de Cushman & Wakefield en España), los que expusieron su opinión sobre la perspectiva económico-financiera general y la del sector inmobiliario en particular, haciendo una valoración del panorama actual en lo que al mercado inmobiliario del Self Storage se refiere. Especialmente interesante resultó la sesión sobre “La valoración de naves de Self Storage” a cargo del señor Loughran.

asistieron un centenar de personas, tuvo lugar durante los días 15 y 16 de enero pasado. Importantes personalidades del sector de almacenamiento privado en Estados Unidos y en España aportaron a través de diversas sesiones sus experiencias y puntos de vista en beneficio de los operadores españoles. La AESS (Asociación Española de Self Storage) ha celebrado su segunda conferencia nacional. En esta segunda edición, el evento ha tenido lugar en el Hotel Confortel Pio XII de Madrid, con la asistencia de un centenar de personas. Si la primera edición tuvo por objetivo prioritario la prevención de riesgos laborales, en esta segunda reunión, los operadores de Self Storage españoles han recibido información sobre distintas fórmulas para mejorar la rentabilidad de sus negocios; así como una experta visión sobre el actual panorama inmobiliario en lo que al Self Storage se refiere. La ponente estrella de la conferencia del martes fue Anne Ballard, experta internacional y consultora independiente de Self Storage. Protagonizó tres sesiones sobre operaciones, marketing y rentabilidad de los negocios de almacenamiento privado, compartiendo su dilatada experiencia

conferencia.” –comenta Joseph Collin, presidente de la AESS- “En cuanto a la asociación, sigue creciendo a un ritmo constante, y cada vez son más los miembros que la integran y que garantizan que los clientes del Self Storage reciben un servicios con los más elevados estándares de calidad.”

AESS President Joseph Collin (Reserva) welcomes delegates to the Second AESS Conference in Madrid and Anne Ballard of Universal Management Company as the key note speaker

Leonardo Soto (Mi Espacio, Sevilla), Manel López and Olga Vidal (Embalajes Capsa)

Delegates at Bluespace

José Ferrer (Bluespace), Serge Kaouane (Self Storage Projects), Cati Fuentes (Bluespace)

Bartomeu Fiol (Bluespace) leads one of the round table duscussion groups

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Self Storage Europe 2008 Volume lI8

Success for second AESS Conference held in MadridThe second AESS (the Spanish Self Storage Association) conference was recently held in Madrid. The two-day conference was attended by approximately 100 delegates, including well known personalities from the

an assessment of the current situation regarding self storage. Of particular interest was the session on valuation by Tony Loughran. A representative from the police

USA and Spain who contributed, at the various meetings, with their experiences of self storage. The theme for the conference was improving profi tability of members’ businesses, as well as an expert perspective on the current real estate situation in Spain for self storage operators. Simultaneous English/Spanish translations was provided for delegates. The key note speaker was Anne Ballard of Universal Management Company in the USA. She held three sessions on operations, marketing and profi tability of self storage businesses, sharing her extensive experience of over 20 years in the North American market with those attending the conference. At the end of her presentation Anne concluded: “I predict a good future for Spain as far as self storage is concerned. It is a growing market that will grow very fast in the coming years.” On the second day, Fernando Arcos (Director of the Industrial Agency at Cushman & Wakefi eld in Madrid) and Tony

should do if it suspects terrorist activity or drugs in its properties. Also links have been established with the police. The conference included round-table discussions covering such subjects

as choosing the best location to site a store, while some suppliers hosted some of the tables. The 14 supplier companies were happy with the location of the trade show as all delegates had to pass through the stands to get to the conference room and all coffee and lunch breaks were held in the trade show. It wasn’t all work however. The dinner was a great success with a magician moving from table to table entertaining the guests. A visit to a club followed the dinner and being Spain the party carried on long into the night. On the last day delegates were able to visit three self storage facilities in Madrid: Bluespace, Espacion Plus and Global Box.

AESS Manager, Sandra Noy, reports from the recent successful Spanish Self Storage Association Conference

Loughran (responsible for Services Consulting, Cushman & Wakefi eld, Spain) presented their views on the economic and fi nancial outlook of the real estate sector; in particular making

spoke about drugs and terrorism. This has led to AESS preparing an instruction paper as to what a company

The new manager of AESS, Sandra Noy, outlined the main challenges facing the association, such as improving services for members, the recruitment of new members and ensuring the quality of service and facilities of its members. AESS President, Joseph Collin said: “We are very pleased with the results of this second conference. The Association continues to grow steadily, with the membership increasing and the quality of service provided by its members being of the highest standards.” The next AESS Conference will be held 18 - 19 November this year, in Valencia. In future all AESS conferences will be held in November.

Manel López (Embalajes Capsa), Pieter Ligtvoet (Cavale), Anne Ballard (Universal Management Company), Joseph Collin (Reserva and President AESS), Debbie Clark (Steel Storage)

Sandra Noy (Manager AESS), Sebastián Sury (City), Maite Pacheco (City and Webmaster AESS), Bartomeu Fiol (Bluespace and Vice-president AESS), Manel López (Capsa)

Espacio Plus welcomes AESS delegates

2008 Volume lI Self Storage Europe9

Taking the temperature of the US marketBy Denise Nunez

Headlines across the United States tell stories of foreign investors gobbling up real estate, from residential to commercial to industrial. Self storage is no exception, as savvy entrepreneurs are drawn to today’s lower prices, historically stable operations, and long-term financial benefits. Still, self storage, like all property types, has cooled off in the first quarter of 2008 in terms of rental rates, occupancy, and facility sales and acquisitions. There is now some debate over whether or not self storage is truly recession-proof, as industry pundits have long insisted. Taking the temperature of the US self storage market demands a two-pronged approach: looking at the facts and figures, and considering the anecdotal evidence - the intangibles - that don’t always show up in the data. While there is no constant temperature - some states and even cities are reporting much different conditions than others - blending the hard data with the subjective assessments offers a trustworthy forecast of today’s US self storage industry. David Dixon, vice president of development for Universal Management Company, a full-service self storage management company in Atlanta, Georgia, summed it up this way: “The temperature of the US self storage market is not quite hot, but it’s not quite lukewarm either. It’s cooling down a bit, but it should stay warm and it will get hot again.” One of the biggest stories in the US self storage is occupancy. The new wave of storage facility development

over the past several years has intensified competition for storage customers. Combined with a slowdown in home sales over the past 18 months, it’s a one-two punch that has seen physical occupancies decline in many regions of the nation.

Keeping an eye on occupancy

“Occupancies have continued to flatten this year, and have even declined in some regions,” says Tom Litton, principal of Litton Property Management in Lodi, California. “But the flattening is due in large part to oversupply of net rentable square footage in most US markets rather than a drop in demand.” Noteworthy is the fact that smaller facilities with fewer units may be winning more customers by providing personalised services, according to data from the 2008 Self Storage Almanac. At 81.7%, sites with less than 25,000 sq ft recorded the highest economic occupancy levels of any size category. Sites of this size also reported the highest physical occupancy rate at 83.3%. Facilities in residential areas seem to have the upper hand in terms of economic occupancy (83.7%) and physical occupancy (85.2%). Facilities in heavy industrial areas, by contrast, saw declines in both physical and economic occupancy. Overall, the national physical occupancy rate (excluding facilities in rent-up) averaged 86.3% in 2007, down from 87.2% a year earlier. Meanwhile, the national economic occupancy rate for

stabilised properties was 85.8 % in 2007, up from 84.4% in 2006. The increased competition Tom Litton mentioned, has forced storage owners to be more careful with site selection, management practices, and day-to-day operations. That means even though physical occupancy has decreased, economic occupancy rates increased. Facilities are running more efficiently, and have the promise of even greater revenues when the physical occupancy rebounds. “In the US as a whole, occupancy should begin to go up. In trying economic times, rather than a downward trend, we tend to see a slight upward trend,” David Dixon says. “Self-storage is not recession-proof, but it doesn’t tend to get down as hard as the office and retail markets do.”

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Recognising rental rate signals

Rental rates rose steadily for nearly a decade before logging a decline from 2006 to 2007. The main culprit was lower physical occupancy. Illustrating consumer demand for larger units, 10-by-20 units saw a 75% gain from 1997 to 2007, according to the Almanac, followed by 10-by-25 and 10-by-10 units. Regionally speaking, facilities in the Western and Southeast regions of the US have posted the highest rental rate increases in recent years, while the Northeast posted losses since 2002. But a facility’s location is also a prime factor in its rental rates. In 2007, facilities in industrial areas posted the highest average rent at $84.96 for 10-by-10 units, followed by urban/downtown sites and commercial/retail sites. Rental rates for climate-controlled units are still 35% higher than non-climate-controlled units. “The self-storage owner’s ability to raise rates has flattened,” Tom

Litton says. “Self storage owner/operators have a tendency to forestall adjusting rates whenever the market is oversaturated. That said, we are starting to see a resurgence in the West. The next 12 months should be pretty rosy for self storage, because the building has slowed down and many people are moving out of large homes they couldn’t afford.”

Figuring in sales and acquisitions

If rental rates and occupancy is flat, sales and acquisitions are in a valley compared to activity in recent years. However, it’s all a matter of perspective, according to Mike Mele, president of Marcus & Millichap’s The Mele Group in Tampa, Florida. Deals are still being inked, he says, just not at the same pace they were in 2006. “There are still active buyers out there,” Mele says. “The deals they are looking for haven’t changed drastically, but the prices are down because the

occupancies and rents are down and the operating expenses are a little higher. The way I see it, there are better deals out there now for buyers.” Mele advises to be open to all possibilities while the economy is changing. He says, “We have to get back to the fundamentals of location and quality facilities. We have returned to what we have traded on historically, even a little better. Cap rates are still low, and there is opportunity for buyers to swoop up deals.”

Denise Nunez is the President & Publisher of MiniCo Publications, which produces the Mini-Storage Messenger, Self-Storage Now! and the Self-Storage Almanac

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Self Storage FOCUS · FOCUS Self Storage 2008 Volume II 7 Self Storage Focus FOCUS may be subscribed to by applying to the SSA Head Ofﬁce at Priestley House, The Gullet, Nantwich,