Offshore Guidebook | Real Estate Investor Magazine Offshore Guidebook 2014 | Page 20

SELF STORAGE BY JACQUES MAGLIOLO Highest Growing Yields Storage units outperform T he UK’s self storage companies have seen the highest growth and highest yielding returns within the commercial property sector in the last decade. Since 2006, the rents achieved in self storage have risen a cumulative 7.3%. The industry continues to grow steadily in the UK and for the recording growth rates of between 8% and 15% per annum. This growth is driven by demand for storage facilities from both consumers and businesses. C o m p a n i e s a r e i n c r e a s i n g l y u s i n g s e l fstorage solutions to store and archive f iles and paperwork, to store stock and off ice equipment a n d t o m e e t f u l f i l l m e nt n e e d s d r i v e n b y e-commerce. 18 Offshore Handbook 2014 Storage as an investment This is not just an interesting insight into a commercial sector in the UK, it presents a very interesting investment opportunity for South Africans who want to diversify their property portfolios not only into the commercial market, but also offshore. The beauty of storage units as a commercial property investment lies in its simplicity. The return is not dependent on external factors (such as the performance of a market, company or third party) as would be the case of investing in a stock exchange. The return is simply the rent. An investment in a storage unit is certainly more affordable and much simpler than acquiring a residential or commercial www.reimag.co.za