Yorkshire storage specialist invests £5m in new Huddersfield unit

A Yorkshire storage company has invested £5m in the opening of a new unit in Huddersfield.

McCarthy’s Storage World has announced that it has purchased Phoenix Retail Park and converted an empty unit into its fifth self-storage space - the second it has opened since the UK’s lockdown.

The premises now occupied by McCarthy’s Storage World had previously been let to Dixons Car Phone Warehouse, before becoming vacant.

The park is also home to furniture store DFS, with the company becoming a tenant of McCarthy’s.

Mike McCarthy, managing director of McCarthy’s Storage World, commented: “Certainly when it came to business planning, I don’t think a pandemic was something any of us had in mind.

“Plans were well in place with our new facilities in York and Huddersfield when Covid-19 first hit, but actually we’ve found demand has remained very strong.

“The property market is booming and so we’re assisting people with their storage needs in relation to moving house.

“Similarly lots of people are undertaking home renovations and DIY which often come with a storage requirement.

“On the business side of things, many are downsizing their traditional offices to work remotely but still need storage or a more flexible and cost-effective workspace, which self-storage can provide.

“Online retail is booming and many ‘Pick and Pack’ operations and online retailers use self-storage facilities.

“Rent, WiFi, heating, power and rates can all be included on one straightforward bill and there’s no requirement of a long-term lease which is appealing.

“We believe we’re quite unusual in converting a retail unit, on a retail park, into self-storage.

“Yet there are vacant retail units across the country which no one wants to see standing empty.

“We’re pleased we’ll be able to bring life back to this particular building - it’s rare to find retail space which meets the requirements of self-storage, so we were delighted to find this ideal site in Huddersfield, which is an area we’ve been looking to expand into for some time.”

Rennie Schafer, chief executive of the Self Storage Association UK, added: “McCarthy’s is one of the first storage companies, certainly in the North, to convert existing space on a retail park into self storage.

“I think this is something we will see more of, as it’s an ideal use for a large, vacant retail unit.”

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