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Self Storage in Macedonia Spanish market has grown 15% compared to last year Swedish conference The Top Self Storage Moments in TV and Movies Trasteros Plus Spanish Conference Volume 2, 2017 EUROPE

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Page 1: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

Self Storage in Macedonia

Spanish market has grown 15% compared to last year

Swedish conference

The Top Self Storage Moments in TV and Movies

Trasteros Plus

Spanish Conference

Volume 2, 2017

EUROPE

Page 2: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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
Page 3: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

3Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

It’s that time of year again with the FEDESSA Annual Survey having been sent out to all the members. Over the

last few years the annual European industry report has just got better and better. It is now a very professional document that gives

valuable insight into the industry and is used widely, not just by operators but also banks, valuers, investors, developers and other people interested in our

industry. One of the reasons the report has improved over the years is the number of members that complete the survey. The more data we get from operators, the better the final report will be, so please take the time to complete the survey as best you can. If you have not received a copy of it, please contact Paola at [email protected] and she will send you a copy. I look forward to seeing the final report at the FEDESSA conference in Berlin.

Speaking of the conference, it is already breaking records with the highest number of registrations received before the end of May. At this rate there may even be over 500 delegates at the event. Despite the trade show being the biggest we have ever held there are only 6 stands left, with a range of new exhibitors coming to Berlin for the first time. We are offering an amazing partners’ programme on the first day, touring some of the sights of Berlin and finishing with an exclusive tour of the Reichstagsgebäude. Thanks to Christian Lohman and his fellow members of the German Association conference working group who have helped us pull together what I am sure is going to be an amazing event.

It is interesting to note the growth of self storage in the Eastern European countries. At last year’s conference in Spain, there were a number of delegates developing self storage in these countries. Larger cities like Warsaw in Poland are already showing a strong developing self storage market, with some solid investors backing further development. In this issue of Focus we profile a new operator in Macedonia where the self storage industry is just starting its journey. We hope to be able to add some data into this year’s European survey from some of these developing Eastern countries, so we can monitor their growth in the future.

Despite the level of political uncertainty in Europe, with the various elections this year and impending Brexit process, the self storage industry continues to prosper and grow. More self storage space has been added across the continent and most operators appear to also be increasing their level of revenue. We have seen considerable growth in some of the more mature markets like Germany and Spain, and the Dutch market is also showing growth and increasing optimism by operators there. The challenge for many markets remains improving the awareness and understanding of the product within the general public.

The growth of the industry also provides opportunities for the industry associations to also grow and expand the level of services that they offer their members. In many cases FEDESSA is helping the local associations with their efforts. The Swedish, Italian and Swiss associations are in the process of updating their websites using the FEDESSA template and several other associations are also in discussions to do the same. The FEDESSA Disaster Recovery Guide has been translated into German, Dutch, French, Swedish and Danish at the request of local associations, so they can send copies to their members. FEDESSA staff met with members of the Dutch Association to discuss their new process of auditing members to their standard and also how they can recruit more members, and have also met with the Danish Association regarding their membership offering. The French Association is also working on actively growing its membership. You will see in this issue of Focus that the Swedish and Spanish Associations have just run successful local conferences to provide education and networking opportunities to their members. So there is a lot going on in associations all over Europe. Being part of an industry association gives you access to a wealth of industry information and resources. It is up to you to make the most of your membership by taking advantage of what your association can offer you.

To subscribe to the Focus and Self Storage Europe magazine, please contact:

Self Storage Association, Priestley House, The Gullet, Nantwich, Cheshire. CW5 5SZ

Tel: + 44 (0)1270 623 150 Fax: + 44 (0)1270 623 471

e-mail: [email protected]

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: [email protected]

The SSA UK and FEDESSA, or any of its agents/rep-resentatives/staff, cannot accept any legal liability for the accuracy of the news items and articles contained in the magazine, which have been obtained and are

reproduced in good faith.

Advertising: Advertising enquiries to [email protected]

Printed by Johnsons Printers of Nantwich, Tel: + 44 (0)1270 625 207 e-mail: [email protected]

President’s report 3

Self Storage in Macedonia 4

Spanish market grows 7

Swedish conference 10

The Top Self Storage

Moments in TV and Movies 11

Trasteros Plus 14

Spanish Conference 17

Cesare Carcano FEDESSA President

PRESIDENT’s Report

Page 4: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

Self Storage in MacedoniaUp until 1991 the Republic of Macedonia was part of Yugoslavia and had a centrally planned economy. In those days all companies were state owned and there was no place for entrepreneurship. With the breakup of Yugoslavia and the transformation of the economy from centrally planned to a market economy however, a need for storage space emerged.

4 Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

While designing our

self storage units, we

researched the internet and

visited a few self storage

facilities in the UK

and UAE

Until 2010 all the storage space for rent in Skopje, the capital,

was larger than 50 m2. However, there was a growing demand

for storage space smaller than 10m2, from consumers and

micro businesses alike. As our company was already in the

storage rental business (we own and rent 5000m2 over three

floors) we decided to redesign one existing warehouse and

divide into smaller 9m2 units.

While designing our self storage units, we researched using

the internet and visited a few self storage facilities in the UK

and UAE. We noticed that the self storage units in the UK

were much more like their US counterparts – equipped with

roll up doors, available in different sizes and offering many

extra services – a retail section selling packaging supplies,

and some companies also offering art and wine storage. The

self storage facilities in UAE however were much simpler –

the units were just one size and there were no roll up doors,

just steel mesh separating the units. Ultimately we opted for

the second design – it was more cost effective and it got

the job done. Our customers are required to bring their own

lock. The whole building and the hallways are under 24/7

CCTV, so we offer a very high level of security, which in our

experience is a big selling point.

About 70% of Macedonia’s population live in houses, and

the rest in shared buildings, many of which have their own

small basements for each apartment where people can store

their belongings they do not need. Due to this, we knew

that it was not going to be easy to introduce the self storage

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5Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

concept to the general public. But we also knew that a lot of people were moving abroad, were inbetween apartments, or were building a house and needed a place to store their belongings for a certain period of time, so we had a target market.

We started marketing our self storage units and the market responded well. Of course, some customers were wary at first, but after an explanation of our new service they were convinced that the self storage units, and the general customer service that we offer, are of high quality, leaving no room for any doubt or distrust.

One year after we introduced the self storage concept our occupancy rate was 100%, so we doubled the capacity, and are currently looking at adding even more self storage units to meet the growing demand. We have been very pleasantly surprised by the market’s response to this new idea. Our occupancy rates have been steadily increasing, so we can happily conclude that introducing the self storage service to the Macedonian market has been a wise move.

By expanding our operation by adding self storage units, we have been able to gain customer base, as well as increase our revenue and improve awareness.

Our self storage customer base mainly consists of two types of tenants: individuals who store their extra items, due to lack of space, or because they are in between moves, and micro businesses – storing their stock or extra furniture and documents.

We have also noticed a tendency of our business self storage tenants to either rent a second self storage unit, or to move to a bigger warehouse altogether. Fortunately, as our primary business is renting warehouse space from 50m2 to 1100m2, we are able to offer them the space they need.

We have been considering adding a retail section to sell packaging supplies, offering wine and art storage, and offering truck rental, but unfortunately the purchasing power of the Macedonian people is rather restricted, so anything we might introduce has little chance of becoming a worthwhile revenue stream.

We have also looked at the possibility of offering moving services to our tenants, but did not proceed with this idea as Macedonians are very much of the DIY kind and will rarely let anyone else do the work for them. That is why the only amenities we offer in our self storage part of the business are the free use of out trolleys and forklifts. Parking in our yard

is also free for our customers.

We constantly follow self storage trends, mainly by reading

industry magazines from the USA and Europe, but because

the self storage market is still in its infancy we do not think

that it is the right time to introduce trends to the

Macedonian market, such as mobile storage,

wine or art storage, document scanning

and storage, or accepting parcel

deliveries on behalf of our clients.

Should the self storage market in

Macedonia gain traction, and if the

customers demand new value added

services, we will be more than happy

to offer them.

Overall, we can safely say that entering

the self storage business has been a fun

ride. Even though we had previous experience

with letting real estate - office space or warehouses

before, the self storage game is a different beast altogether.

Unlike dealing with corporate customers, private self storage

customers have different concerns that need to be addressed

to gain their trust, and develop the relationship into a lasting

partnership that is beneficial to all parties.

Dean Mandichevski

Marketing Manager - Svoj Sklad

www.svojsklad.mk

One year after we

introduced the self storage

concept our occupancy

rate was 100%, so we

doubled the capacity

Page 6: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 20176

Page 7: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

continued on page 8...

Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017 7

Spanish market has grown 15% compared to last yearIn 2004, City Self-Storage, Reserva, and Bluespace created The Spanish Self Storage Association, Asociación Española de Self Storage (AESS). Today the association has 33 members and 98 facilities. Its objectives are mainly to improve the communication between the association and the current members, to increase the number of members joining the association, to share business knowledge, to maintain a forum with stable communication channels to protect the self storage industry interests in Spain, and to improve the relationship between the different national self storage associations. The AESS also monitors

developments in Spanish self storage, e.g. in February 2017 they communicated that the market had grown 15% compared to last year.

According to a study done by IPSOS on behalf of Bluespace, self storage companies started to grow after the economic crisis

and in particular the real estate sector. Between 2010 and 2012 the number of self storage centers

went from 60 to 105, which is an increase of 75%. This was due to several

factors. First of all, the high population density of the three main Spanish cities (Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia). Secondly, the average size of flats in Spain is only 60 m². One other reason is an increase of SMEs and independents who do not have a warehouse or enough space in their office and therefore rent storage spaces to store their files, products, tools or other materials.

Self storage companies

started to grow after

the economic crisis and

in particular the real

estate sector

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8 Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

The self storage market has been growing constantly since 2012. According to data of the Spanish Self Storage Assocation (AESS), the market has grown 15% compared to last year; increasing from 300 storage centres to 345 storage centres throughout Spain. “The main reasons for this growth are economic growth, new operators entering the market and existing operators opening new stores (mainly in Barcelona & Madrid)”, says Carles Viladecans, manager of the AESS. Nevertheless, there are still at least 60 big cities that do not yet have a self storage presence, indicating that there is still a good potential for significant growth in the industry in Spain. “The growth corresponds to a growth of 40% of mainly new operators and the remaining 60% are existing operators expanding their portfolio with new locations”, continues Carles.

Most self storage centers are located in Catalunya, Madrid, Andalusia and the Valencian communities, and together they represent 82% of the area in which self storage centres are located. In terms of provinces, Barcelona (114) and Madrid (87) continue to lead the industry in terms of locations, followed by Valencia (20), Málaga (19) and Alicante (12). However, looking at the cities, Madrid (53) offers more self storage centers than Barcelona (49), followed by Málaga (12), Valencia (11), and L’Hospitalet de Llobregat (10).

The Spanish market is led by a single operator with 31 centres, followed by an operator with 14 centres, and a third operator with 10 centres. Of the 185 self storage operators, 72.4% only have one centre, 20% between two or three centres, and the remaining 7.6% have four or more centres.

The Spanish Self Storage Association is convinced that the market will continue to grow at a similar pace in the coming years.

Of the 185 self storage

operators, 72.4% only have

one centre, 20% between

two or three centres, and the

remaining 7.6% have four

or more centres

continued from page 7

Page 9: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

9Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

Page 10: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

swedish conferenceOn May 9, over 50 owners and operators of Swedish self storage businesses gathered at the historic Nalen building for the annual Janus International, Swedish Self Storage Association conference and dinner. The event was hosted by Pär Lager, a communications expert who specialises in moving businesses into digital communications. He also delivered a key note presentation on how innovations in digital communications had transformed businesses, which was well received by the delegates and followed up by a presentation on how self storage businesses were selling their products and services online.

Other presentations covered topics such as CCTV regulations, the Swedish real estate market, insurance, pest control and an industry panel. At the end of the day there were round table sessions with additional experts on VAT and legal issues where delegates could have one on one and small group discussions.

That evening there was a special dinner held at Nalen for delegates, where conversation moved onto more social matters and some quality networking was conducted.

Pär Lager delivered a key note presentation on how innovations in digital

communications had transformed business,

which was well received by the delegates

10

Page 11: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

11Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

The Top Self Storage Moments in TV and MoviesSelf storage is not a topic that is often front of mind for the majority of people. It has however certainly inspired the imagination of several screen writers. We are all familiar with the success of the US programme “Storage Wars”, where people bid on abandoned storage units that may contain junk or treasure. Self storage centres or storage units are however not always presented this way. In how many movies or TV series do you remember seeing a storage unit in a scene pivotal to the main plot?

Storage units are often presented as sinister, desolate, terrifying and even dangerous places in movies. Luckily this is not always the case. Storage units can also be used in movies as a safe place for someone storing belongings with high sentimental value, or even a place to store priceless treasures. Here is our list of the 10 best self storage TV and film moments. Thanks to the AESS for helping with this list.

1. M (1931)

Sound was used for first time in this movie and it became a benchmark for all serial killer movies. This movie from Austrian writer-director Fritz certainly paved the way for films like Seven, Zodiac and Silence of the Lambs. The serial killer is finally caught towards the end of the film when he tries to hide himself in a storage unit.

2. Simpsons “ The Principal and the Pauper “ (2001)

Who does not know the Simpsons, with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie who represent a satirical picture of working-class life family? There are not many series that have marked as many generations as the Simpsons. In the thousands of adventures of the Simpsons, there has also been many where surprises were uncovered in self storage centres. E.g. in Season 9, Episode 2: The Principal and the Pauper. When a celebration is held at Springfield Elementary to honour his 20 years as principal, Seymour

Skinner is revealed to be an impostor when the real Seymour, Sgt. Seymour Skinner, shows up. The imposter Armin Tamzarian runs to a storage centre to rescue his real belongings. In another episode “The Land of the Apes” supporting actor Bob, who does not have a house, rents a storage space to coordinate his plan to kill Krusty the clown.

3. Dexter “Smokey and the Bandit” (2011)

A storage unit just seems like a good place to hide a horrifying secret and this has been the case for the Dexter series. In one of its episodes called “Smokey and the Bandit” Dexter suspects that Walter Kenny may be the “Tooth Fairy“ serial killer. He follows him into a self storage facility and inside the old man’s unit, he finds what he was looking for – a collection of teeth!

4. Homeland “ Achilles Heel” (2011)

Homeland is an American spy thriller television series in which a CIA special agent investigates issues of national security and terrorism between the United States and Al-Qaeda. In one of its episodes called “Achilles Heel” (Season 1, Episode 8) a former prisoner of war uses a self storage unit to engage in clandestine activity.

continued on page 12...

Storage units can also be used in movies as a safe place for someone

storing belongings with high sentimental value, or even a place to store priceless

treasures

Page 12: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

5. Breaking Bad (2012)

Breaking Bad is an American crime drama television series and is thought to be one of the greatest television series of all time by many. With so much illegal money coming into her car wash, Sklyer can’t launder all her husband’s money without arousing suspicion, so she does what any quick-thinking criminal would; she rents a self storage unit. She confronts him one day by showing him all the money lying in the unit.

People do not just rent storage units because they need more space. For a lot of people their belongings have a very sentimental value, so they need a safe place to store them. People sometimes lose their property and the only place for personal belongings is their storage space. Whether we like it or not, storage spaces are sometimes used as place to live. Some screen writers have used storage space in stories with a more sentimental theme.

6. Esposito (2011)

A young man obsessed by a girl does everything at an auction to win his dream girl’s storage unit. He starts to gather as much as possible information about her life and who she is to win her affection. Esposito is a feature-

length romantic comedy and a genre that’s not commonly associated with self storage.

7. Married with Children - Season 6, Episode 5 - “Looking for a Desk in All the Wrong Places”

Neighbours Jefferson and Marcy were renting a storage space where Marcy was storing her sentimental childhood items. One day Jefferson decided to stop paying for his storage unit. Peggy, who is always ready to help, comes to the rescue to help Marcy recover the items that were auctioned off. Among the items, they are trying to track down is a pink desk that she desperately wants to find.

8. Girls - Season 4, Episode 5 - “Sit-in”

Girls is a comedy-drama following the lives of four young women living in New York City. In this episode Hannah returns to New York after dropping out of grad school. She then finds out that her ex-boyfriend has moved her stuff into a storage unit and that his new girlfriend already has moved in with him. After refusing to leave her former bedroom for an entire day, she retreats to the storage unit to sleep on her old couch.

And last, but not least, there are also movies that are called Self Storage!

9. Spanish movie “ El Trastero” (2015)

Spanish screenwriters have also been using a lot of self storage places in their work. One was even nominated for the Goya Awards as the Best Short fiction. El “Trastero”, or “Storage Room”, is a short movie about a guy who goes to the storage facility where his parents are renting a unit. He finds a box with all kind of pictures of his childhood and family. The story is about memories, forgotten childhood and emotions and about losing contact with family and the past.

10. Self Storage (2010 – 2011)

Self Storage is a popular web series about two women, Dana and Shoshanna, who turn to self storage as a solution to their

Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 201712

Whether we like it or not, storage spaces are sometimes

used as place to live. Some screen writers have

used storage space in stories with a more sentimental theme

continued from page 11

Breaking Bad, Season 5 by High

Bridge Productions, Gran Via Productions in association

with Sony Pictures Television for American Movie Classics (AMC)

Page 13: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

13Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

recent homelessness. Sometimes people run out of luck in life, but have the strength to pick themselves up and do their utmost to get back on track. The interesting thing about this series is that it started with an idea about two actresses who were working as representatives for a car manufacturer in 2009. They got their inspiration from seeing vehicles going in and out of a storage unit. In less than one year they wrote the screenplay and started to shoot the first season of “ Self Storage”.

An Oscar for self storage - Harvie Krumpet (2003)

One last entry onto our list, not technically a self storage movie but worth mentioning anyway. In 2004 Australian animator Adam Elliot won an Oscar for best sort animated film with his clay motion movie Harvie Krumpet. While the movie itself has nothing to do with self storage it was entirely filmed and produced inside a self storage unit in Melbourne Australia. Adam did admit that it got quite warm in the unit during summer and he was seen stripped down to his underwear during production. Harvey Krumpet launched Adam’s career internationally and he now works for the likes of Disney, so strangely does not use his self storage unit for making movies anymore, but he does still store his items in it!

In general, we can conclude that by using self storage in a scene, the concept of self storage is being brought to a wider audience. Unfortunately self storage is often used as a setting for criminal activity such as storing drugs or weapons

etc. Hopefully most viewers will appreciate this is not reality, and that not all appearances of storage units in movies and TV include negative plots.

The Simpsons by Matt Groening, Fox

Page 14: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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

14 Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

For the majority of us Málaga is known as the gateway to the Costa De Sol, or as someone once stated “Málaga is the Florida of Europe”. As Spain’s sixth largest city, located on the Mediterranean coast, it is also probably the town with most competition in the self storage sector in Spain. The Spanish Conference took place in Málaga on the 23rd of May and was a perfect opportunity to talk with operators active in Málaga. Trasteros Plus opened its first store in the city centre of Málaga three years ago and within this short time frame they have become the self storage leader in region of Andalucía. Trasteros Plus opened its first store in November 2013, and today they have three stores in Málaga. When they opened their first self storage center there was something similar to self storage in an industrial area outside the city, however Trasteros Plus was the first real self storage operator in Málaga city. They felt there was a need for self storage, there was no operator providing this service in the city. When they opened their facility, they had a few challenges to deal with. First of all, they opened the store in the middle of a economic crisis, and secondly they had to build awareness and educate the citizens in Málaga, as most of the citizens were not familiar with the self storage concept.

There are now eight different operators in the city with 12 storage facilities: Islatrans (2), Keepy (3), Tiasa (1), Self Storage Costa del Sol (1), Spacio 3 (1), Marbella Self Storage (1), Trasteros Plus (3), and very soon, there will be new player on the market.

“Today Trasteros Plus is leader in Andalucia and this is mainly due to two reasons”, according to Alberto Serrano (Director Trasteros Plus) “On the one hand, you have the customers who are the best advertising tool. All the customers appreciate the fact that their facilities are clean and secure. A lot of new customers come to Trasteros Plus because they have recommended. On the other hand, the staff. They work with qualified and committed staff who are very committed to the company. Several studies have shown that happiness leads to an increase in productivity, while unhappy workers prove to be less productive. Human happiness has a large and positive causal effect on productivity. Our employees are very important to Trasteros Plus and this is, for example, is reflected in an indefinite contract from the first day, or a day off on their birthday, and other benefits.” Serrano is also convinced that the productivity of an employee is directly related to their state of health and mood. They are even looking into how to become the first national company to give days off to workers who practice sport on a regular basis and who sleep a minimum of eight hours daily. “The company is convinced that the productivity of a person is directly proportional to their state of health and mood”, says Alberto.

Trasteros Plus is a company that tries to offer a solution for all customers. Inside the facility, you will find a range of storage spaces from 1m² to 200 m² for all storage needs and lockers. Also, office space is available, which can be hired on an hourly basis. There is unlimited access to the storage unit, as many times and days as you want. All their facilities are perfectly protected, with a comprehensive and

Trasteros Plus

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15Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

effective security system, video surveillance cameras, an alarm system, access control, and staff at the reception. Trolleys are available to easily transport belongings along with private parking within the loading area. “Trasteros Plus offers also offers its customers a van and driver service, and an extra pair of hands in case they need it”, says Alberto.

Trasteros Plus opened three self storage centers in Malaga in just three years, with a total of 10,000 m² of storage space or 2,300 units. In July last year they extended their centre located in Camino Viejo de Coín 16. With this extension, this facility has positioned itself as being the most important storage center on the Costa del Sol, with more than 700 storage units.

The level of competition is high in Malaga and the challenge is to look for ways to differentiate from other players. The way to differentiate, according to Alberto, is by “Location, professionalism and being the first”.

First of all, location: Trasteros Plus is located in very populated and urban areas which explains the 70% residential customer and 30% business customer composition. According to Alberto, the advantages of opening a facility in urban locations is that it is more challenging for other self storage companies to find locations close to their facility and build a self storage center. “There are a few self storage operators who have tried to open close to one of our facilities, but they just reinforce our leadership position even more”, says Alberto. Secondly, Trasteros Plus takes a lot of care of their employees and they constantly send them on sales courses to maintain a high level of professionalism. Trasteros Plus also tries to be the first in business development. The first rule of marketing is “it is more important to be the first than to be the best”, says Alberto. “We try to get into the mind of the consumer before our competitors through very active marketing campaigns. Trasteros Plus wants to be different

to its competitors. They are the only ones in Malaga to offer a “receipt of goods “ service to their customers. Their customers do not have to be present at their facilities waiting for the package to be delivered - the customers gets a notification that the package has arrived.

Trasteros Plus wants to be more than a self storage company. Last summer they helped young entrepreneurs with a new initiative. 20 young entrepreneurs where offered free storage space for six months so they would get the opportunity to develop their business. They could choose a unit space between 2 and 10 m², depending of their needs and the availability at the chosen self storage center. Trasteros Plus is also a company that is committed to the city and its inhabitants. They work with the Red Cross by giving them space to collect food so they can help citizens who have fallen on hard times.

Alberto Serrano is convinced there is still a lot of potential to expand the Spanish market, and Trasteros Plus are looking into entering other Spanish cities in the years to come.

Last summer they

helped young entrepreneurs

with a new initiative.

20 young entrepreneurs

where offered free storage

space for six months

Trasteros Plus is a

company that tries to offer

a solution for all customers.

Inside the facility, you

will find a range of

storage spaces

Page 16: Self Storage in Macedonia · 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
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17Self Storage Europe - Volume 2, 2017

This year, the 11th Annual Spanish Self-Storage conference took place in Malaga on the 23rd of May, thanks to our sponsors Steel Storage, RADical Systems and SSolid. Malaga was chosen as the venue due to the high number of self storage centres present and the city’s rich history. Around one hundred delegates, consisting of both operators and suppliers attended. Two speakers at the conference generated a lot of questions based on their interesting presentations. Jose Mª Andrés Cervera, collaborating lawyer of AESS, presented a registration project of the general conditions of client contracts, and German Pérez, Technical Officer of the Malaga Fire Department, presented his point of view on the characteristics of the sector in order to legalise and determine protection conditions to prevent fire. German Pérez even joined the members to the facility tour to discuss the fire protection conditions at the facility, giving them valuable advice on what is good and what they could improve. Delegates visited Keepy and Trasteros Plus; two self-storage operators, who are

members of AESS. The owners of both self storage facilities took the opportunity to show their facility, and to answer questions from colleagues.

During the breaks, operators and suppliers got the opportunity to network and meet with suppliers in the trade show. Adrian Starling and Martyn Dickinson from Janus said that for them the main reason to be present at the Spanish self storage conference is to build up their business relationship with their clients and to network, and again the conference provided exactly that. New members also enjoyed the event. “ You really get a lot of information from the suppliers and it is really interesting to share experience with other operators that have been in the business longer”, was a general statement from a group of new AESS members.

The successful conference was closed with a delicious dinner at the restaurant AC Forum with an amazing view over Malaga. We are already looking forward to next year’s AESS conference in Spain.

A special thank you to the sponsors Steel Storage, RADical Systems and SSolid that contributed as well to the success of this years’ conference. ,

SPANISHCONFERENCE

The successful conference was closed with a delicious

dinner at the restaurant AC Forum with an amazing

view over Malaga