INSPIRING visit to Ukraine

Richard Burge has recently returned from an inspiring visit to Ukraine. Here he talks about what the visit meant to him and how new links with the country can mutually support business communities both in London and in Ukraine.

“It’s a very determined country,” said Richard.

“I have worked a lot in war zones –Afghanistan, Lebanon, territories in Africa – and what struck me about Ukraine is how much business is going on. They are simply getting on with it.

“There were two reasons for going. The first was to show solidarity with the business community of Ukraine through their Chambers of Commerce and the governance of the cities of Kyiv and Lviv. You can say a lot of nice things by Zoom but sometimes, you have to get on a plane, give people a hug, sit down with a vodka and talk.

“It’s not brave going to Ukraine; it’s more dangerous probably travelling around London.

“The second reason is Ukraine traded with Moscow in Russia and we want them to trade with London. It is the start of a campaign for London – with its glorious diversity - as the global city of choice for the business sector of Ukraine as they switch their focus from Russia to the West.”

Richard went to Ukraine with Andrew Marsden, City of London sheriff, Tom Sleigh, director of corporate affairs at the Bank of London, and Igor Bartkiv, Ukraine project officer at the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

With no direct flights to Ukraine at present, the group travelled by train from the Polish border – a “sleeper train from Kyiv to Lviv is an adventure!”

The group spent eight days in the country and met the trade minister in Ukraine, other Government officials, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the chair of the Women in Business group in Ukraine, and local business owners including IT and manufacturing.

“There are a lot of SMEs,” continued Richard.

“It is a very advanced country –technology, a lot of skills. They have certainly taken a leaf out of London’s gin-making book, vodka is seeing a resurgence. It’s a very encouraging industry.

“I am very encouraged by their determination and their way of getting on with it. Lviv Opera House continues to run four performances a week, which really takes your breath away.”

The MOU with the Ukraine Chamber of Commerce has been signed.

“This commits us to holding two significant trade events every year, one in the UK and one in Ukraine or Poland,” he said.

The trip was very successful, he added, and achievements included the continued development of the Liverpool/ London business event to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest; links between London and Lviv/Kyiv in the IT and digital sector, women in business and energy generation and trading; the commitment of the Barbican Centre to look for ways of promoting Ukrainian music and performance; and Ukrainian participation in the next Lord Mayor’s Show, which is sponsored by the City of London Corporation.

Initial steps have also been made to provide support and fundraising for the Unbroken project in Lviv for prosthetic limbs and post-trauma care. The Unbroken National Rehabilitation Centre provides care for adults and children affected by the war in Ukraine.

GROWING STORAGE BUSINESS provides the space for other businesses to grow and shine

In fact, secure storage units range in size from the size of a locker to a football pitch so businesses have a range of options – and space to grow.

“Businesses can start with us and grow over a number of years,” said Gareth Morris, head of operations.

“You can take a mailbox, you can take an office and you can grow into a bigger office. Some people start with a small square footage, then a bigger square footage and then a warehouse. We have so many success stories within these walls.”

And Access Self Storage is enjoying its own growth spurt.

Established nearly 30 years ago, it hails from a time when everyone who started a business chose a name beginning with ‘A’ so it was first in the phone book.

It now has 61 stores nationwide – including in Battersea and Wandsworth – with new branches opening in Brentford, Streatham and Sydenham in the last two years. More new branches are in the pipeline.

All the newer buildings are “much bigger” than the older ones.

“Our new sites are generally much bigger than our existing portfolio,” said Gareth. “We generally offer a mix of storage and office space.”

Secure storage units range in size from the size of a locker to a football pitch. Parking, mailboxes, records management, vehicle storage, and storage by the box services with free delivery and collection are also available services across the UK. They also sell everything you need for storage including a range of cardboard and plastic boxes, tape, bubble wrap and padlocks.

Unfurnished office spaces range in size from 125 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft and are available for short or long-term rental.

The company has 250 employees across the storage sites and head office and is recruiting for more.

“We continue to grow,” said Gareth. “We have new site acquisitions ongoing to further grow the business.”

“We continue to recruit, it’s always a challenge, particularly for the entry level customer service assistant roles. We have increased our salaries across the board with a considerable uplift, which are exceptionally competitive.”

“We have expanded our training team to make sure we can focus on our customer service too.”

Gareth started his career at Access Self Storage 20 years ago in March. He was looking at a recruitment job post when the Access Self Storage advert for an assistant store manager caught his eye.

He soon moved up the ranks taking on the progressive roles of store manager, regional manager, operations manager and now head of operations. In his role, he looks at developing the systems and processes to make the business “more streamlined and efficient”.

“Storage industry is quite archaic in some ways and some of the business has been behind the times, but we have been able to develop the systems and processes to make it more streamlined and efficient and that’s what I have been highly involved in,” he said.

“We have been able to improve services and reduce costs and continue to drive the business forward.”

“A key change now in the business world is data and working with the data. We have tens of thousands of customers. We have thousands of enquiries every year. Across all our sites we churn over 100% of the customer base. We will get some people who stay there for a number of years. I use that data to help improve customer experience and the systems and processes.”

The firm also hold its own Access Business Awards with the first one held in 2014. Open to all the company’s customers, the award winner receives a prize worth just under £20,000 – storage value worth £14,000 and a marketing package worth £5,200.

Giving back to their loyal customers is something Gareth and his team are passionate about. During the Covid pandemic, the business provided a lot of credit to help customers through the crisis.

“If it was a business such as a pub or restaurant (who really struggled during the pandemic) we gave them credit and gave payment plans to others,” he said.

“It was our way to pay back to our most loyal customers.”