Manchester-based Storage World’s newest branch, located in Hale and Wilmslow, has been shortlisted as Independent Facility of the Year for the Federation of European Self Storage Associations’ (FEDESSA) European Awards.
The FEDESSA European Awards, which has six categories including Independent Facility of Year, are highly contested amongst organisations in the self-storage sector.
The Hale and Wilmslow store was selected due to its visual appeal, internal fit out quality, and construction detailing – including its unique three-tier mezzanine, which increased the maximum lettable area from 34,000 sq. ft to 48,000 sq. ft.
The company’s creativity in engaging with the store’s local customer base also contributed towards its shortlisting as Independent Facility of the Year.
Storage World, a leading self-storage operator, began to open the Hale and Wilmslow branch in January 2020. The store became fully functional during the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown, which presented several challenges. With less than 5% of the normal levels of traffic passing the store, the company implemented new methods to find and win customers.
The introduction of the Hale and Wilmslow store accompanied Storage World’s previous two units, located in Manchester city centre and Middleton.
Marc Studholme, Managing Director at Storage World, said: “Being judged by industry experts and shortlisted as one of the European stand-out stores was a huge boost. Upon opening, we were immediately confronted with the challenges of the pandemic. We couldn’t ever have imagined that within 18 months our store could be considered amongst the best in Europe.”
“Demand for flexible space has been strong and, as a result, the requirement to fit out more of the store with additional units was brought forward. We’ve seen a rise in domestic customers requiring storage for moving house, carrying out home renovations and simply looking to create more space in their home, and business customers utilising space to store stock for their online retail businesses, storing documents and trades storing excess equipment for trade.”
Following the successful launch of the Hale and Wilmslow store, Storage World is due to open a new premises in 2022, with plans to open at least one new store each year thereafter.
