eKourier Jan 2016

PROPERTY

Spotlight On Belmont

T he Belmont centre is the largest of the Kennards facilities in Newcastle with some impres- sive stats - 900 units ranging from one square metre to 64 square metre mini warehouses, exactly 10,000 square metres of rentable space. The centre is so large you need a golf cart just to do a lock check. Established in 1982 as a self storage facility, previously the site was a Kennards Hire location. The centre is on the Pacific Highway, perfectly located to service the east side of Lake Macquarie. Situated with other businesses that provide life’s essential services, i.e. Bunning’s and Hungry Jacks! My part in the history of Belmont began around a year ago after previously managing the Cardiff centre. The centre Team consists of Ian Thompson, Leah Davis and myself. We have over the past year created a great Team environ- ment and a fun place to work . The centre underwent a large expansion in 2010 with the purchase of All Storage, a business that was located next door to the existing centre.

customers is varied. Because of its highway location there is a strong presence of Sales Reps and Tradies and the traffic through the centre each day is constant. We also have our fair share of…how should I put it… colourful characters who add to the diversity of our day and pay us a friendly visit every now and then. The centre is currently at 77% occupancy, approximately 750 of the 900 units are rented. The merchandise sales each month fall around $5000. Going forward the challenges for the centre would be to push through that elusive 80% barrier, then on towards the magic 90%. We see the small business sector as our target market to achieve this and have begun to investigate ways to promote ourselves within the business community. Having worked at all the centres in Newcastle as a TSM (Team Support Manager), I have personally found Belmont to be the centre that has offered me the greatest challenges. Mark Shepherd Manager for Belmont

Like many other centres the mix of

16 Kennards Kourier January 2016