FOCUS UK 2012 - Q2

In this issue:

• SSA UK News
  • DJD/SSA UK Survey 2012
    • The forthcoming sixth annual Drivers Jonas Deloitte/SSA UK survey among members of the Self Storage Association UK will reveal a sector managing to make headway in tough conditions.
• Company News
  • Safestore opens in Staines
    • Safestore has opened a new self storage centre, which is built on the site of a former soft drinks factory, in a high profile location on the A30 London Road arterial road in Staines, west London
  • Mid Wales Storage Centre 
    • Mid Wales Storage Centre, a self storage facility based in Machynlleth, has achieved the prestigious “Investors In People” award, the most successful framework for business improvement through people in the UK.
  • Ducalian launches storage venture
    • Private equity firm, Ducalian, has launched a new self storage venture with the acquisition of a warehouse in Littlehampton, West Sussex for £1.2 million
  • Big Yellow wins two awards
    • Big Yellow Self Storage achieved 67th position in the Mid-sized Companies category of the Sunday Times “100 Best Companies to Work For” and “Two Star” status for the Best Companies Accreditation.
  • Gliderol – award finalists
    • Gliderol Self Storage Solutions is proud to announce that it was a finalist in the North East Business Awards 2012, sponsored by UK Trade and Investment and HSBC Bank plc
  • Storage King’s new build
    • Following Storage King’s freehold acquisition of the 35,000 sq. ft. Safebox Self Storage facility in Cambridge in May 2011, the site has been re-branded in Storage King’s blue and yellow
• Community News
  • Fort Box Self Storage Scottish Feature
    • Fort Box Self Storage, London and Oxford’s premier self storage company, co-sponsored a Major League Baseball (MLB) Players Skills Camp on Sunday the 18th of March 2012.
  • First Minister opens Airlink Group’s new offices in the heart of Glasgow
    • Scotland’s First Minister officially opened Airlink Groups’ new head office in Glasgow. Airlink Group was founded in 1994 by John McGlynn, then a student at Strathclyde University, and now specialises in Car Parking, Strategic Land, Commercial Property, Self Storage and Asset Management.
• First Scottish members’ meeting
  • On the 26th of January a diverse group of Scottish Self Storage Operators came together for lunch, coffee and a round-table discussion on the current position within the industry.
• Self Storage proves a successful diversification at Fruix Farm’s
  • It’s a busy time of the year for Andrew and Fiona Turnbull, who run Fruix Storage from their farm of the same name just outside Kinross in rural Perthshire.
• Business News
  • Regional mediation pilot scheme launched
    • The latest steps in reforms to the Employment Tribunal System were unveiled by Employment Relations Minister, Edward Davey, with the announcement of a pilot scheme for two Regional Mediation Networks for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
  • Unfair dismissal qualifying period extended
    • It has been confirmed that the qualifying period for an employee to bring a claim for unfair dismissal will be extended to two years, following the proposed introduction of legislation which came into force on the 6th of April 2012.
  • Warning over on-line VAT returns
    • The Government has confirmed that mandatory on line filing of VAT returns is extended from the 1st of April 2012.
• Company Features
  • Wolverhampton Self Storage
    • Wolverhampton Self Storage donated the use of a storage unit to Compton Hospice and, together with Storage.co.uk, called on all its customers to consider donating unused items and to make a big decluttering effort during National Declutter Week, from the 7th to the 18th of March.
  • Taunton – new Self Storage project
    • Lopen Storage is pleased to announce that it has acquired a third site in Taunton, Somerset for the development of a self storage facility. It is quite a large site on a main road going into Taunton and it will eventually have between 650 and 700 storage units, plus 20 serviced offices.
• Insurance Feature
  • Are you just a self storage business?
    • Because their primary activity is “self storage”, we find many clients and prospects use this simple two-word business description when arranging their insurances.
• Legal Feature:
  • Data Protection: Are you complying?
    • Most businesses use customer and employee information stored on computer systems and paper records. If a business doesn’t deal with this information as required by the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA), it risks committing a criminal offence.
  • Dealing with a stubborn delinquent
• Security Feature:
  • Electronic Security - Past, Present and Future