The tidy way to make a profit

The Aldershot News and Mail Group August 2009

A SELF-STORAGE firm in North East Hampshire is celebrating 21 years in business.

The industry was in its infancy when Eversley Storage Services started out, but has since boomed as householders and businesses have sought alternative space.

“Entrepreneurs have started up their small businesses from home, using Eversley for their warehousing, or business archiving,” said managing director Michael Woolfson.

“The aspiration with regard to housing is still driving much of our business, but this year it has been for people building extensions and protecting their furniture and belongings while they do it.

“People are less willing to chuck things out now, and prefer to store with us while they sell on ebay or keep things that might be required by another family member.”

With many householders unable to move in the current property market, they are effectively using a storage unit as an extra room.

Mr. Woolfson said that shortly after the firm opened, at the beginning of the development of the UK self-storage industry, economic conditions were also tough.

“Many of our first customers stored goods or office furniture as their businesses downscaled," he said. “People stored seasonal stock, to minimise the in-town rents they paid. We were brilliantly located for the motorway network and were very lucky to be located on the A327, a good through route, which provided easy access.

Mr. Woolfson said that the company decided to develop a road system so cars, vans and almost all lorries can simply drive up to the storage unit and customers could load or unload directly into their unit.

"For years we have had a client collecting his spare parts for his plumbing business on his way to work. His company was near Horsham, his patch was local and they reduced their overheads and his travel expenses by forming a spare parts depot in one of our units. His van swings in regularly, drives up to his unit, he has his list for the day and 10 minutes later he's on his way to his first call."

The company also provides mobile access platforms so goods can be stored at first floor level.

"Business archiving is a popular use for the units, removals companies reduce their costs by renting them and the storage of seasonal sports equipment is popular too," said Mr. Woolfson.

"People have been ingenious in bad times as well as good in dovetailing storage to business needs, either as they start out or as they dispose of stock and use storage services to organise themselves.

"Whether times are hard or easier, self storage in the South East is an important support service for the changing needs of householders or businesses.

“In the early days, we needed to explain exactly what self-storage was to our prospective customers. Not any more!”