It’s no secret that self-storage is continuously leaving its footprint all over the world. Matter-of-fact, the self-storage industry is growing by leaps and bounds. Although the self-storage industry is widespread across the United States utilizing 2.3 billion square feet of storage space, statistics have shown that there is a huge boon of self-storage growth in other countries as well. South Africa has opened quite a few facilities, with plans to continue growth across the country. The facilities in South Africa are geared toward offering additional services which include business centers and flexi-offices.
Europe continues to show growth in the self-storage market. The Federation of European Self Storage Associations represents about 70 percent of the self-storage facilities in Europe, which is currently number around 1200 facilities. Germany has a self-storage association as well, which generally has a little more than 100 self-storage facilities.
The Asian market is quickly adopting the self-storage concept as the economy expands. The Asian market also uses their facilities for unconventional uses such as office space which allows business to continue because retail space is very high. This self-storage concept provides much needed space and fills a need, in addition to providing a space to store household goods for the general public.
As precious real estate in the United States continues to be bought and used for self-storage purposes, relationships with commercial real estate agencies are an integral part of the mix. Deciding a perfect location for a facility that has the potential to thrive takes careful planning and a strategic assessment of added value and competition.
Major self-storage companies in the United States have a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the growth of the self-storage industry around the world. By partnering with corporate real estate professionals that have a huge presence in other countries, self-storage companies can have first-hand information that will assist them in preparing for continued expansion. Online self-storage entities also have a great opportunity for building a rapport with real estate professionals to expand their services and offerings around the world. There are so many viable opportunities for the industry as the shifting economies in various countries call for the immediate need for individuals to have a place to house their belongings for a variety of circumstances.
The continued growth of the industry also calls for new innovations and technological adaptations that will allow multifunctional processes to be a great leverage point in bringing other countries on board. As the population continues to grow and people continue to move around the world, the need for viable space and alternative uses of self-storage facilities will be a primary focus in the future.
The availability of land that will reap profitable benefits is also a major factor, and multi-level facilities are becoming a normal design, in the United States and overseas. Having a building on a prime piece of real estate will become even more profitable if the number of units within that facility are plentiful and multi-use spaces. At this point, the future of the self-storage industry is limitless.
