The first storage park for Storage Zeeland
We recently placed our Z-Boxes on the premises of Storage Zeeland, the storage company in Zierikzee owned by Martin van Rijn and Jascha de Jong. In addition to the existing storage shed, they can now offer outdoor storage, a long-held wish. We asked Jascha about her experiences with USC, the delivery process and initial customer feedback.
What business do you have and since when?
‘Since 1999 we have been active with Storage Zeeland, we had bought land at that time to be able to put up a warehouse. Initially, we also stored caravans. Because it was in high demand, we started offering storage units. In 2017, we put an additional floor on the shed. Actually, we have continuously expanded to 90 units now.’
What kind of clients do you have?
‘These are mostly individuals, but also small businesses, sales representatives, some store packaging materials and there are owners of vacation parks in the area who store their archives here.’
Why did you want to expand?
‘In the end, we were completely full again. We then came to Deventer a few years ago to see if operating outdoor units was something for us as well.
Why outdoor units?
‘When clients want at their unit they have to make an appointment with me a day in advance. We actually want to serve a target audience that can come whenever they want and without an appointment.
Why did you choose Z-Boxes?
‘We do have units but they are not insulated and are heated with stoves. Outside, things have to be different and this well-insulated container is something we were looking for. One of our customers is Uitgekookt, which would like to store food in a cool, insulated unit.’
How did the contact with USC come about and how did it go?
‘Initially, your former colleague Mark joined us once. Martin and I went to Deventer together once after that. That all went smoothly, we got ideas back and forth, were able to spar a little with each other. We got a positive impression.
What was the reason for ordering Z-Boxes?
‘When we had everything in place, including a piece of land we could buy nearby, we decided to buy off the storage containers. First we had drawings made to determine how many units we could put on the property. We relied on USC’s advice in that area, which was nice.
We ordered the containers, and by mutual agreement it was decided to build the storage yard in October. On Oct. 3, the first excavator started and on Nov. 12, the first people could rent. Had it been finished earlier I would have had customers wanting a unit as well. We can now also meet the demand for smaller units.
What do customers think of the containers?
‘The customers think it looks neat, sleek, with nice white units, it looks like a small village. We also offer motor units. I had to refer those clients earlier, but by now I have already rented out two myself. This week there is half a page about us in the local newspaper PZC and I have already had many nice comments about it. I’ve already rented out units, and I’ve got viewers coming again this week.
Are there any other providers in the region?
‘We have been doing it for over 20 years. We were one of the first here on the island with a shed for storage. We did make a name for ourselves with that. Some families have been coming here for the third time, so that’s positive. Here on island was also almost nothing. The far corners of the island do have a few providers operating now, but we are not in each other’s way yet.
Are you satisfied with the way things are going?
‘Everything went fine. USC has already put storage parks in so many places so they know what they are talking about, so we don’t have to invent the wheel ourselves in that area. We have always been well served.
Fortunately for us, a delivery of containers to Sweden was delayed, so construction could start earlier at our place. That was nice because as soon as we could get going with the property, we wanted to start renting as soon as possible. In fact, I had clients who were very up on their contents. It took a lot of hard work by everyone, including USC’s construction team, to make that happen.
Do you want more containers in the future?
‘Maarten stopped by last week and noted that we could add some more storage containers on our property but for now, let’s see if we can rent these out first…’
Editor’s note: Guidance from start to finish
Our engineer Danny created the floor plan for the Zierikzee location and also incorporated the modifications requested by Storage Zeeland. Because Martin and Jascha wondered if certain corners in the container setup could be accessible by car, Danny used pawns at Salland Storage in Deventer to simulate these corners. This proved successful. During the delivery and assembly of the containers by our construction team in Zierikzee, Danny was of course also present.
Are you also thinking about offering self-storage, perhaps because your customers need it too?
