A re-vamped self storage business which expanded and moved to new premises at a cost of more than £1m officially opened on Monday (Feb 4th 2009).

BE Webbe’s Self Storage on the Racecourse Industrial Park, Mansfield Road, moved to a new home on the complex to cope with increased demand.

The company was one of the first in Derby to introduce self storage but in the last two years its units were fully occupied and new capacity was needed to hold everything from personal and household goods to business archives.

In a major re-organisation the company transformed a nearby building, with refurbishment costing £750,000 done by sister company Kinsey (Midlands) and fitting out costing another £300,000. The total area for self storage in the three-floor single building has increased from 16,000 sq ft to 33,000 sq ft, and the number of purpose-built individual walk-in steel units has more than doubled from 103 to 225, with the average size much larger than before.

The silver clad and partly-glazed building stands out in the complex and can be clearly seen from Sir Frank Whittle Road.

It has offices for Webbe’s and the removals side of the business which can be traced back to 1908. The company can supply racking and cardboard boxes, and there is also a selection on sale of other accessories for removals and storage.

Sales director Edward Blount said: “We are delighted that we are now open after months of planning and construction work. “There has been a great interest already from the public with 30 new clients moving in even before the official opening.”

Confident that the new self-contained units will be a success, the company is already planning an extension into an adjoining building that will accommodate another 12,000 sq ft later in the year.

The new building also includes offices for parent company Ivygrove Developments. Hoping that they have the keys to success…

Edward is pictured right with Webbe’s general manager Michael Shaw.