eKourier July 2013

Life Begins at 40! Kennards Celebrates 40 Years in Space FEATURES

National Accounts - Raising the Bar I f you read my previous article “Business is Relationships” we touched on our achievement of 11,000 rented square metres. We’re not resting on our laurels. We have quite a few irons in the fire and aim to secure a further 500 square metres before the end of the year. “If it doesn’t challenge you it doesn’t change you”. There is a lot of work to do over the next six months. • With our NSW Club Assist project almost complete we are ready to begin our Victorian campaign. • Tenders have been submitted for Fuji Xerox (new to the Self Storage scene) with plans to relocate majority of their distribution to Self Storage. • Discussions are in place with Callaway Golf, Aspen Pharmaceuticals and The Consortium Centre. Fiona Harding Business Development Manager Customer Feedback “ My husband and I have been customers of Kennards since 2003, first in Canberra and subsequently in Melbourne. We had looked at various storage facili- ties, and decided that Kennards met our requirements in more ways than any other provider. The facilities at Kennards are of outstanding quality and the staff are true professionals with exemplary skills in customer interface and service. It is very clear that this high level of professionalism reflects a leadership style that values its people, consistently promotes quality of service, and leads by example. Congratulations! ” So what is on the horizon?

The 1991 separation from Kennards Hire proved to be the ideal catalyst for our focus and effort. It was also the year I joined, when we had just 8 locations. The 1997 entry into the Melbourne market with the acquisition of Huntingdale. 2004 saw the momentous acquisition of our fierce competitors, Millers Self Storage, for circa $220 million, in partnership with Valad Property Group. 2007 was the year we crossed the Tasman to invest in New Zealand. In 2008, the onset of the

T his year we are celebrating Kennards Self Storage turning 40 with our ‘Life begins at 40’ theme. This suggests that our first 40 years are just the beginning. We will take the lessons and experience to make future decades even better than the ones before. Kennards Self Storage owes its origins to a courageous and entrepreneurial leap my father took in 1973. After a trip to the U.S., where he saw ‘Mini Storage’ in its own embryonic and unproven days, he returned to build Australia’s first storage units at Moorebank. The idea of ‘Self Storage’ simply resonated in his head, and he was confident the best way to be sure was to try it. I recall him musing his scepticism of ‘Market Research’ that if he did any market research about storage it would of suggested there was no demand! 40 years is an incredible milestone for a business. We have endured several recessions, tolerated numerous different governments and adapted to rapid advances in customer expectations. There are several noteworthy chapters in our first 40 years.

G.F.C. enabled us to buy-out Valad, as their leverage caught up with them.

So, in 2013 Kennards Self Storage proudly stands as the market leader operator in the self storage industry, while also boasting that we are private and family-owned. Our culture journey will continue so that we foster an engaged and committed team of people. This is the foundation of our Brand that underpins the strength of our business. Sam Kennard Managing Director “ Our culture journey will continue so that we can foster an engaged and committed team of people. ”

Kennards Kourier July 2013

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