On Demand Storage - Market Disruptor?

[Brandon Hobbs]

Curious if any of my fellow self storage investors have researched this new business model of "On Demand Storage"?  I noticed UHaul appears to be going "all in" on the U-Box.  In Texas we have seen Call Box Storage open up in DFW, Austin, and Houston.  There are several others that appear to be off and running - Makespace, Stash Storage, Clutter, to name a few.  I can wrap my head around it working in the urban core areas.  But will we see it gain traction in the burbs?  Would love to hear your thoughts.  @Scott Meyers @Michael Wagner @David Thompson 

[Michael Wagner]

@Brandon Hobbs, I agree with your assessment that urban areas will be impacted more than suburban and rural areas which is good for me as I operate primarily in secondary and, more accurately, tertiary markets:) I also tend to think that this niche will have a far greater effect on the moving industry than the self storage industry.  Perhaps this is why Uhaul feels so strongly to move into this space...the same way the tobacco industry now invests heavily in the smoking cessation industry. To me, its a different enough offerings than self storage that I won't lose sleep over it for the foreseeable future. There are certainly times when this offering will better meet a customer's need who might otherwise consider storage but self storage also has several advantages that differentiate it from on demand type services. Looking forward to seeing how others see it as well!  Thanks for posting this!