Maarten looks back on 2022

From the plane from Dublin to the Netherlands, I am already writing the last article of this year. I am returning from a delivery in Clarecastle, followed by a meeting with some prospects. The first delivery this year was in Ireland and so was the last. Nothing is more fun than a second order, because then you can be sure your products will be liked and our customers will make money on them. This time it wasn’t raining, but it was freezing. A good opportunity to shoot beautiful images with our drone that we will post online soon.

Europe

This year we had the opportunity to place our storage containers in our own country, England, Germany, Sweden, France and, as mentioned earlier, in Ireland. Slowly we were freed from the yoke of corona, which made traveling and staying a little more pleasant. Most trade shows were also held this year for the first time in three years.

FEDESSA

This year’s FEDESSA show, the annual meeting of the European Self Storage Association, was held in Portugal. Of course in terms of location, on the Algarve, that was very pleasant, but next year will really be a home game for us. During the show in Portugal we already organized a nice opening party, we should see how we can make FEDESSA 2023 unsafe in Rotterdam….

Salland Storage Almelo

At the local level, plenty happened, too. Our own facility Salland Storage was further expanded with a storage park in Almelo. We have also entered into broad customer partnerships to expand our joint reservation systems.

Price level

Unfortunately, there was not all positive news. The war in Ukraine had a negative impact on the price level of our storage containers. The sharply rising dollar exchange rate added to this. In the end, the same storage container ended up costing the customer quite a bit more, which is not always easy to explain.

and Pension provision

Another thing that has impressed us this year is that we have customers on our file who, after considering it for a long time, decided to buy. They consider the purchase of our storage containers, with the associated establishment of a storage park, a nice contribution to their retirement. A storage park can offer them a piece of income security, a fixed return on their savings. This is a different approach than when an entrepreneur or investment company makes such a purchase. We can greatly appreciate this confidence in our product plus associated revenue model.

Trust

With the word “trust,” I also conclude this story. We are confident in 2023. Corona seems to be a thing of the past for now, and some price levels seem to be at their peak.

With that confidence, the entire USC team wishes you happy holidays with all your loved ones. Looking forward to seeing you in a happy 2023.

Maarten Streppel