Kennards Storage October eKourier Edition

PROPERTY

SPOTLIGHT ON PALMERSTON NORTH

Shona Kitchen, Centre Manager and Paul Buckby, Assistant Manager

Palmerston North has always been a storage facility, built in 1995 it was initially a Fort Knox Self Storage centre then Kennards acquired it as a Going Concern in December 2007. Built to purpose including owner’s apartment, with kitchen/living space adjoining the office and bedrooms upstairs. The apartment is currently rented with a long term tenant.

O ur layout is single story, ranch style with six blocks, comprising of drive up exterior garage units and internal units. We have 554 units, 5,293 square metres, 14 outdoor car parks and 30 units with power and lights. We have approximately 25 businesses storing, utilising the parcel pick up area and shelf rental. Several have offices inside their units so are here daily, the rest are sales reps who come and go. Known as the windiest centre in NZ, our metal banner spikes get snapped off at ground level often, we must have the highest turnover of fence and bowhead flag banners in the company! We are highly visible from Road Bridge which is one of the main roads coming into Palmerston North (Palmy). We are centrally located in the closest industrial area to town. A busy street with a diverse range of businesses including a Biker Bar, Prestige Homes opposite us (who mass build and truck out homes weekly. Amazing trucks lift the houses up above cars parked on each

side of our narrow congested street), Gilmores Wholesale Food and Beverage Supermarket and a Car Wreckers to name a few. We are one of, if not the first storage facility in Palmy, so with the years of combined handing down of knowledge we offer a genuine, caring, efficient fun customer service experience. Currently we have a cultural mix of customers; an Entertainer, a Maori Carver and an Opera Singer, who has asked if he can practise singing in his storage unit. At one stage we had customers from three different Gangs (wearing their patches while on site) and the Police all storing at once. 2016/2017 the average occupancy for this period at the centre was 92.36%, with only two competitors in Palmy. We were definitely the best in town. Since then we have welcomed three new main competitors and several smaller facilities. Also our two existing competi- tors expanded. With the Team gaining

confidence and embracing the challenge, insurance results improved and Mystery Shop results and Google reviews gained momentum, all this reassuring us we must still be the best in town. Current occupancy is 86.87%. The Team at Palmy consists of Shona of 4.5 years and Paul 3.5 years, with the recent addition of our TSM Toni Metz, based with us two days a week. A couple of problems we continually try to manage is the lack of larger house units, in the past we have converted by taking walls down. We must also have the smallest Box Shop in the company and the property perimeter has a fully electri- fied fence, which can be challenging with the wind blowing rubbish into it and then of course triggering the alarm. Despite our challenges we enjoy our jobs. We have a lot of positive Google Reviews, returning customers and referred customers. No day is ever the same. Shona Kitchen & Paul Buckby Palmerston North

17 Kennards Kourier Oct 2020