The Self-Storage Association of the United Kingdom (SSA-UK), in association with Drivers Jonas Deloitte, has released its 2011 report revealing key performance statistics regarding the local self-storage industry. Factors measured include average length of stay, average rental rate and revenue. The report also includes an industry outlook for the year ahead.

The survey, now in its fifth consecutive year, collects data from SSA-UK members. Drivers Jonas Deloitte was commissioned to produce a report based on the responses as well as its own analysis of factors relevant to U.K. self-storage operators. Responses were gathered from 82 separate companies and 440 self-storage facilities. Data relates to facility performance as of Dec. 31, 2010.

Drivers Jonas Deloitte estimates there are 800 self-storage facilities in the United Kingdom, with 36 percent owned by the largest operators.

According to the report, the U.K. self-storage market has weathered the recession intact and is looking forward to a period of steady growth. Respondent confidence has improved since 2010, with many operators expecting to raise rental rates and avoid customer incentives during 2011. The data also shows increased lengths of stay at self-storage locations and increased rental rates from last year.

The report also addresses development activity and trends, customer behavior, operating revenue and more.  An executive summary can be round at http://www.djdeloitte.co.uk/?doc=41975. A complete copy of the report can be purchased by submitting an inquiry at https://www.deloitte.co.uk/selfstorage/index.cfm. The cost is £50 for SSA-UK members and £120 for non-members.

Drivers Jonas Deloitte is a trading name of Deloitte LLP, the United Kingdom member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd. Based in the United Kingdom and Europe, the firm specializes in property consultancy, transaction and advisory services.

Inside Self-Storage has released its 2011 Buyers Guide, a directory containing hundreds of self-storage product and service suppliers. In the guide, users will find detailed information about industry associations, builders, management companies, security providers, software companies and much more. The print version of the guide is already circulating to ISS magazine subscribers. The online version will be available Aug. 1.

The ISS Buyers Guide allows readers to search for companies by name, product/service category or geographic location. It also includes a directory of domestic and international self-storage associations.

The online guide can be found at InsideSelfStorage.com, in the Industry Directories drop-down menu at the top of the page. Vendors interested in creating or changing a listing can complete the online form. The online guide is updated regularly throughout the year.

ISS produces a monthly magazine, bi-annual tradeshows, e-newsletters, webinars, an online forum, and education programs for self-storage professionals. It has been a well-known industry-information franchise for more than 20 years.   

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 29 percent of electricity used in the United States is related to lighting. Recent industry reports estimate that as much as 41 percent of electricity used by self-storage facilities is for the sole purpose of lighting.

Most storage facilities are using outdated light bulbs. High pressure sodium (HPS) and metal halide (MH) lighting is inefficient, wasting electricity and producing a poor-quality light. To compound matters, these older lamps dont last as long as newer alternatives, driving up maintenance and recycling costs. Chances are the lighting at your facility is cutting into your bottom line every single month.

Getting on the Efficiency Bandwagon

Theres a national movement to increase energy efficiency through better lighting. In fact, several state and federal legislators have passed laws that will phase out most incandescent light bulbs. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 requires all general-purpose light bulbs to be 30 percent more energy-efficient than current incandescent bulbs by 2014. Most light manufacturers agree this spells the elimination of incandescent lights. The enacted efficiency standards will start with 100-watt bulbs in January 2012 and end with 40-watt bulbs in January 2014.

Self-storage owners know controlling the bottom line is essential. New lighting solutions can reduce lighting-energy use by as much as 90 percent while eliminating maintenance expense for up to 12 years. LED lighting lasts two to five times longer than traditional light bulbs. The end result is a significant reduction in monthly expenses for bulb changes. Energy prices are expected to rise significantly over the next five years, making energy reduction even more beneficial.

Lighting not only impacts expenses, it affects customer service and security. People feel more secure in well-lit areas, and lighting is important for storage accessibility in the evening hours. Though better lighting cant guarantee safety or eliminate all potential crime, studies have shown that good lighting will improve customers perception of safety and reduce instances of opportunistic crime. According to the International Crime Free Association, enhanced lighting plays a significant role in reducing criminal activity at self-storage facilities and improves security-camera images by producing clearer images.

Lighting improvements can also help reduce a self-storage operators legal liability. Lighting quality and brightness is often a point of concern in premises liability litigation. Facility owners with better lighting report fewer premises liability lawsuits.

Green isnt just a buzzword. Customers are using their wallets to reward companies who take steps to reduce their carbon footprint and implement sustainable business practices. Energy-efficient lighting reduces electricity use and landfill waste, and doesnt contain mercury or other harmful elements like fluorescent lighting.

A Tempe Facility Turns a New Bulb

This year, the owner of Tempe Storage Co. in Arizona wanted to update the facilitys exterior with energy-efficient lighting to significantly reduce electricity costs and improve light quality for customers. After replacing its 44 215-watt HPS lamps with 26-watt LED fixtures, the facility reduced its lighting-energy consumption by 87 percent.

In addition to the energy savings, the LED lighting increases onsite security and provides a brighter night-time loading and unloading environment for tenants. The new lights have improved the ground lighting by an average of 20 percent, and the facilitys new appearance provides a higher street-level attraction for marketability and awareness.

We want to provide our community a safe, secure place to store their personal and business valuables, and better lighting helps us deliver on our customer-satisfaction promise, says facility owner Terry Blakemore. We are able to pass along our reduced energy savings to our customers by keeping our monthly rental prices very competitive, especially considering we are Tempes newest storage facility.

The facility also dramatically reduced its future lighting-related maintenance expenses, since LED lamps have a 12-year estimated life. Blakemore projects his annual electricity savings and reduction in maintenance expenses will total nearly $4,000 per year. The return on investment over 12 years is more than 500 percent, with breakeven in just 30 months.

In addition, Blakemore was able to take advantage of utility rebates, which paid for nearly 20 percent of the upgrade project. Hes also eligible for a 100 percent tax deduction through The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010.

Retrofitting a self-storage facility with LED lighting is a popular way to save on energy costs, as LED lights consume an average of 50 percent to 80 percent less energy compared to traditional lighting. Additional savings include maintenance and replacement costs, as LED lights average 50,000 hours of use and produce very little heat.

Tempe Storage Co. reduced its electricity and maintenance expenses while improving the safety and sustainability of the facility. With energy-efficient lighting, everyone wins.

Daniel Henderson is the CEO of Relumination, which provides LED lighting solutions. The company offers a complete service program including free lighting assessments, rebate and cost-savings analyses, financing solutions to maximize return on investment, new and retrofit installation, and complete project management. For more information, 888.48.LIGHT; e-mail [email protected] ; visit www.relumination.com .

On July 24, the first day on which it will be legal for same-sex couples to wed in the state of New York, representatives from Manhattan Mini Storage will be at New York City Hall to give away three months of free storage as a wedding gift to gay couples. In addition, the self-storage company will capture couples on film sharing their love stories. The video will be posted to special Twitter and Facebook pages created for the celebration.

"We're thrilled to be witnesses at this historic event. It's truly an honor to be there on the big day and share in all of these great love stories, said Stacy Stuart, vice president of marketing. This will give us a chance to congratulate the couples, set them up with some free storage, and spread the word that New York City is the best place on earth to live and love.

This summer Manhattan Mini Storage ran an ad campaign with the message, If you don't like gay marriage, don't get gay married. Stuart said this is the companys chance to stand by its words and celebrate a true victory for equality."

Manhattan Mini Storage is a family-owned company that has provided self-storage for more than 40 years. The company has supported community causes including the NYC AIDS Walk, Partnership for the Homeless, Animal Haven and others.

Manhattan Mini Storage is part of the Edison Properties family of businesses. It has 17 facilities throughout New York City.

A Safe Place Self-Storage in East Dorset, Vt., will host an auction July 16 to benefit Habitat for Humanity of Bennington. The proceeds will be used to support Habitats A Brush of Kindness program and purchase supplies for Habitats next home.

The auction will begin at 10 a.m., rain or shine. An accompanying tag sale and auction preview will begin at 9 a.m. Donations and volunteers are still being accepted. Items to be auctioned include framed artwork, signed Christmas cards from George and Laura Bush, bath fixtures, assorted furniture, ceiling fans, Christmas decorations, collectible figurines, appliances, craft supplies and much more.

Andy Tarantino of A Safe Place Self-Storage provides free storage space year-round for Habitat to store donations for this annual event.

Habitats next home, to be built on Jennifer Lane in Manchester, Vt., will go to Michelle and Randy Lewis and their two children. Both are long-term Manchester residents. Michelle and Randy will contribute 500 hours of sweat equity to their new home, working with volunteers, family and friends. Upon completion, they will assume an interest-free mortgage that will enable Habitat to help more families.

A Safe Place Self-Storage has two facilities in East Dorset and one in Manchester.

After months of planning meetings and court rulings, a proposed self-storage development along the Dorset/Manchester border in Vermont has been deemed in violation of the towns bylaws.

The Vermont Supreme Court ruled June 23 the development proposed by Bradford Tyler, who owns 5.6 acres along Route 30, would not be allowed. The ruling reversed an earlier Environmental Court decision that found the proposal acceptable.

The development would be located within the Village Commercial district. It was approved by the citys planning commission and a permit was written by the zoning administrator. However, a group of residents appealed the permit to the Zoning Board of Adjustment, claiming the development didnt fit the Village Commercial districts definition of a "retail sales/rentals.

The proposal included three one-story buildings, each 20 feet by 100 feet, with a total of 72 storage units.

StorageVault Canada Inc. sold a parcel of land in Cambridge, Ontario, to PepsiCo Foods Canada, a business unit of PepsiCo Canada ULC, for $760,000.

The sale includes 2.16 acres of land currently being used as storage for RVs as part of StorageVault's B&B Mini Storage facility.

The sale price was comprised of $350,000 cash and the conveyance at closing by PepsiCo to StorageVault of a property consisting of approximately 1.45 acres of land adjacent to B&B Mini Storage. In addition, StorageVault will lease back the sale property for a two-year term rent free.

StorageVault owns and operates Canadian PUPS portable storage in Saskatoon, Trans Can Mini-Stor in Regina, and Kenaston Self Storage in Winnipeg. The company intends to grow through the acquisition of self-storage properties and the development of portable-storage facilities in Canada. Its common shares are listed on the TSX Venture Exchange.

The BSC Group LLC, a Chicago-based commercial real estate financing advisor for self-storage owners, released its performance results for the first half of 2011.

The company originated more than $75 million in total transaction volume, including $58 million in debt and equity capital to support these deals. 

"We are very pleased with the firm's performance and the level of activity in the market through the first half of 2011," said Devin Huber, a principal. "We have also expanded our team and office space during this time period to ensure we are well positioned to meet the future demands of our client base." 

With the dramatic upheaval in the financial industry during the past three years, The BSC Group has expanded its reach in the loan-workout and distressed-asset arena, while remaining committed to assisting clients obtain the best possible terms for their financing transactions. By keeping the focus on its clients' needs, the firm was able to recognize the demand in the marketplace and capitalize on its extensive network of lender and client relationships to identify distressed asset opportunities, including note acquisitions and recapitalization transactions.

"The recapitalization of distressed transactions has been a primary focus of our business over the past several years," said Shawn Hill, a principal. "With the return of the capital markets, as well as the new changes to SBA [Small Business Administration] lending guidelines, we are excited to find that the debt and equity capital necessary to bring these transactions to fruition is now readily available in the marketplace.

The company is also encouraged by the reemergence and level of activity in the Commercial Mortgage-Backed Security (CMBS) market, added Huber. "The second half of 2011 is looking very promising given we currently have a pipeline of more than $80 million in CMBS loans under application at fantastic rates and terms."

The BSC Group closed its first SBA 7a transaction in the second quarter of 2011, and has an active pipeline of smaller borrowers looking to access SBA loans. The variable rate acquisition loan enabled a first-time owner to purchase a self-storage facility in a tertiary market, and demonstrates the BSC Groups continued commitment to work with borrowers of all types.

Formed in 2009, The BSC Group LLC offers financial and loan advisory, mortgage brokerage and loan-workout solutions to commercial real estate property owners and investors, with a special emphasis on the self-storage market. Through its capital source network, the company provides clients with access to debt and equity financing for commercial real estate investments nationwide.

U-Store-It Trust will release its financial results for the three months ending June 30 on Aug. 4. An accompanying conference call will be held at 11 a.m. ET on Aug. 5.

A live webcast of the conference call will be available from the investor relations page at http://www.ustoreit.com. The dial-in numbers are 877.317.6789 for domestic callers and 412.317.6789 for international callers.

After the live event, a webcast recording will be available on the U-Store-It website for 30 days, and a telephonic replay of the call will be available until Sept. 6. The replay dial-in number is 877.344.7529 for domestic callers and 412.317.0088 for international callers. The reservation number for both is 451776 .

U-Store-It is a real estate investment trust that owns or manages 454 facilities across the United States and operates the U-Store-It Network, which consists of approximately 800 additional self-storage facilities.