Young, wealthy store their problems away (2)

Louis Hill, a representative of Drivers Jonas Deloitte, said: "The service is becoming increasingly popular as people get used to it. The main reason why people like self storage is because it is flexible, trustworthy and convenient. There's likely to be a great future for self storage in China as it gives lifestyle flexibility and convenience."

For individual consumers, they mostly use small and medium-sized storages to keep files, such as financial documents and personal items, Luo said.

Festivals also tend to bring in more business. Customers will store their personal belongings for two or three weeks while on vacation and retrieve them when they return, she added.

"Self storage in Shanghai is growing so rapidly that we analyze the industry regularly. Our manager often goes to Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Japan to conduct market research. We are also planning to set up a branch in Beijing. Our expansion plan is focused on first-tier cities, where there are more wealthy consumers who need such a service," she said.
In the West, the self-storage industry is already in full swing.

Maximilian Spitzy, general manager of Ministorage in Shanghai, said: "In the United States, you can expect to have one storage unit per 4,000 square meters. In the late 1990s, we introduced the idea of self storage to Europe. In 2008, we decided to bring the concept to China."