Property firm on hunt for self-storage units in the Midlands and North West
Property development and investment firm Westbeech Group is planning an autumn rollout of further Nest Self-Storage units if the Wolverhampton-based company can locate further alternate locations.
The company launched the first state-of-the-art, self-storage centre at Old Hall Industrial Estate in Revival Street, Bloxwich, Walsall, in January this year.
Managing director Ian Houghton said: “Working with our partner Engage, we are 30 per cent full already but heading into the busiest time of the year for self-storage.
“We expect to press ahead with the second phase fit out by September, which will increase our capacity to 30,000 sq ft.
“We are now very keen to talk to site owners across the Midlands region and in the North West with a view to purchasing sites.”
Nest Self-Storage units are available 24/7 - 365 days of the year. Sizes available range from a 10 sq ft locker to a 200 sq ft storage unit, the size of a standard double garage and capable of housing the contents of a four bedroom family home.
Entry and storage can be fully online and automated via a dedicated app allowing clients renting the units to come and go as they please.
The site has 24 hour CCTV monitoring and security.The decision to move into the self-storage market came after Mr Houghton and his team had researched the self-storage market for 18 months.
Westbeech has selected Birmingham-based Engage as its operating partner. Engage runs and manages 22 similar units for 15 different brands across the UK.
Mr Houghton said they believed they had a competitive advantage in the market because their units are purpose-built, and use state-of-the-art technology with access controlled via a client account on an app.
“Our first unit has been custom designed with new technology inbuilt, whereas retrofitting can cost between £50,000 and £100,000 per site,” he explained.
Mr Houghton’s company Westbeech Group owns a number of industrial estates across the West Midlands, and he said they were always looking for innovative ways of using established space.
Westbeech Group owns upwards of 300,000 sq ft of commercial space across the Black Country and Birmingham and also acquires sites for new buildings.
It also has a residential division which acquires sites and builds from one home to 30 for the discerning buyer looking for a luxury family home.
