Blog

Aviva Investors Provides Further £50 Million to Self Storage Firm Big Yellow Group

Aviva Investors, the global asset management business of Aviva plc, announces that it has completed a further £50 million financing agreement with Big Yellow Group, the UK-based self storage company, as it continues to expand its sustainability-linked financing programme. This facility includes a set of sustainability goals and indicators which are ambitious and fully aligned with our Sustainable Transition Loans framework, as we continue to seek ways of making sustainability a more material consideration for borrowers and support the transition towards a low-carbon future.” The loan, a seven-year facility, is…

The Role of Property in Portfolios Today

Investors in UK commercial property have experienced a rollercoaster ride over the past 18 months. When Covid-19 took hold in March of last year, the picture looked bleak, to say the least: as the UK went into lockdown, several sectors stepped into the unknown. The UK’s largest open-ended direct property funds suspended trading, while commercial property real estate investment trusts (REITs) swung to big discounts as panic set in. This was reflected in the FTSE Epra Nareit UK index, which plunged 32% between 1 February and 20 March 2020. More…

Quick Self Storage Expands with Darlington Acquisition

Quick Self Storage has acquired the Darlington site and operations of Dainton Group Services. The company appointed PKF Smith Cooper to assist with identifying and unlocking potential acquisition targets as part of a company-wide push focused on established storage operations. The firm supported Quick Self Storage in defining the acquisition strategy, identifying key targets, unlocking deal opportunities, and project managing the transaction through to completion. As part of this role, PKF Smith Cooper developed a database of self storage operations across the UK, which led to the acquisition of Dainton’s Darlington site.…

Self Storage Company Announces New Store Opening in Daventry

Self storage company Space Station has announced the latest step in expanding its UK operations with the opening of a new facility in Daventry. The recently announced store has a significant 28,500 square feet of storage space for local customers and businesses, with various sized individual units available to rent. After securing the purchase of the Daventry location from Squab Storage and Removals, the doors to Space Station’s newest store are now officially open for business, with a full site rebrand set to be completed later this year. The acquisition…

Shurgard Self Storage Completes Acquisition of CitySpace Self Storage in Central London

Shurgard completes acquisition of CitySpace Self Storage in Central London LUXEMBOURG – Shurgard, the largest developer, owner and operator of self storage centers in Europe – is pleased to confirm the acquisition of CitySpace Self Storage’s two properties in Central London on October 1, 2021. Both properties are former basement car parks converted to self storage. Bloomsburystore is located just off Russell Square (less than 100 meters) in London and at walking distance from the British Museum. Knightsbridgestore is located close to Belgravia Square Garden and Hyde Park Corner –…

Latest Base Stacks up for Self Service Storage Firm

Self storage firm UK Storage Company Ltd is to open its biggest nationwide base in purpose-built premises in Sheffield. The firm, which has been offering self storage for businesses and residential customers since 2005, currently has 27 stores across the country and will open its first South Yorkshire operation totalling approximately 15,000 sq ft in early 2022. The 24-hour facility at Tinsley Industrial Estate, in the Lower Don Valley area of the city, has been built to an agreed specification with a glass fronted and canopied entrance and will feature…

Self Storage Group ASA: Acquisition of Property in Gardermoen, Norway

Self Storage Group ASA (Self Storage Group, OSE:SSG) has entered into an agreement to acquire a new-build property in Gardermovegen in Nannestad, Norway. The transaction has a property value of NOK 11.5 million, with an estimated lettable area of 1050 square meters. The facility is projected to open during Q3 2022. The property in Gardermovegen will be operated under the OK Minilager brand. “The property is located in Øvre Romerike, a region north of Oslo with strong growth. The location has easy access from main roads, close to Jessheim. This acquisition is in line with…

Heitman Expands Space Station Self Storage Platform

Heitman, a global real estate investment management firm, has acquired bof Squab Daventry, a self-storage asset located in the Midlands. The investment marks the second acquisition expanding Space Station, a UK self storage platform that a Heitman affiliate acquired in late 2020 and adds further density into a key target region of the country. As we continue to observe tangible economic recovery, we see significant opportunities within the self storage sector and more broadly alternative real estate, given their secular demand drivers and attractive risk profile.” The asset continues the…

European Self Storage Operator Shurgard Hits 250-Store Milestone

Shurgard Self Storage Europe SARL, the European affiliate of U.S.-based real estate investment trust Public Storage Inc., has reached its 250th location with the opening a facility in Argenteuil, a commune in the northwest suburbs of Paris. The eight-story building comprises 75,347 square feet in more than 1,100 units, according to a press release. We are thrilled to have opened our 250th property in Europe, especially in the Paris region, which is key to our expansion plan.” Shurgard has been ramping up its European expansion through acquisitions and development since…

StorageMart Acquires Two New Facilities in the UK

With the recent acquisition of two former CityStore properties in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire and Dunstable in Bedfordshire, StorageMart extends its influence in the competitive UK market. These locations fit very nicely into our existing portfolio of assets and our Greater London strategy. We have had a banner year for performance of our existing UK portfolio, and expansion of our UK footprint makes a lot of sense for us at this time as a result.” The new UK locations are two of many in a series of acquisitions, joining recent US closings in Indiana, Iowa, and Maryland. With more acquisitions either planned…