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StoreStuff Self Storage has been named a finalist in the SSAA Awards for Excellence 2025 in the Facility of the Year – Independent Operator category. Finalists were announced on Monday 3rd November 2025. Winners will be revealed at the SSAA Gala Dinner on Thursday 13th November 2025 in Sydney, Australia.
Key Takeaways
- StoreStuff Self Storage is a finalist in the SSAA Awards for Excellence 2025 for Facility of the Year – Independent Operator.
- The SSAA Awards recognize quality and innovation in the self-storage industry across Australia and New Zealand.
- StoreStuff underwent improvements in security, customer access, and transparency
- Key changes included upgraded security systems, environmental controls, and customer-first services that enhance satisfaction.
- Finalists receive industry recognition and benefits, while winners gain additional publicity and support.
About the SSAA Awards for Excellence
The Self Storage Association of Australasia (SSAA) Awards for Excellence are the industry benchmark for quality, innovation and leadership across Australia and New Zealand. The awards recognise operators, managers and service members who demonstrate measurable improvements in operations, customer experience, innovation, sustainability and community engagement. In 2025 the award categories were refreshed to reflect a broader range of site sizes and development types, including conversions and regional facilities.
Why this matters to customers and the sector
Recognition from the SSAA signals operational competence to customers and partners. Finalist status is independent validation of safety, security and service. For the sector the awards surface practical solutions that improve outcomes. Judges prioritise measurable results and direct customer benefit rather than marketing claims. That makes the awards useful both as recognition and as a source of replicable best practice for other operators.
Where StoreStuff started and what we changed
The site began life as a Colgate-Palmolive factory in the 1940s and was converted to a storage facility in 2009. In 2023 ownership changed to StoreStuff and we started a concentrated upgrade program with four clear goals: improve security, reduce damp, improve customer access and make pricing transparent.
Key changes we implemented
Asset rehabilitation: Extensive plastering and repainting turned damp, worn units into clean, bright spaces. Corridor and common-area lighting was upgraded to improve safety and usability at night.
Environmental controls: Dehumidifiers were installed across upper floors to protect customers’ goods from Wellington’s damp climate.
Security enhancements: Legacy cameras were replaced with enterprise 4K CCTV with six weeks’ retention.
Operational convenience: An undercover loading bay, oversized freight lift, dedicated truck bays and complimentary move-in truck & trailer simplify customer moves.
Unit mix optimisation: Awkward pockets and inefficient units are being reworked into purpose-built lockers and better-shaped spaces to improve usable capacity and yield.
Digital and commercial changes that drove results
Two practical operational levers produced most of the measurable uplift.
Customer-first services. Complimentary move-in truck and trailer hire and flexible month-to-month terms with full refunds for unused rent reduced moving costs and created a tangible customer benefit that also works as local marketing.
Open online pricing and booking. Integration of the Storman-StorNow add-on delivered real-time pricing, automated ID verification and frictionless online bookings. Published rates reduced decision friction.
Concrete results
Key metrics supplied in our nomination (figures as at 30 June 2025):
• Nearly 400 units (Net Lettable Area nearly 1700 m²).
• Occupancy: 80% by NLA.
• Over 250 five-star Google reviews and rising customer satisfaction.
• Zero break-ins recorded in nearly three years of operation.
These figures were submitted so judges could verify outcomes.
People and community
StoreStuff runs as a lean family operation. The facility is managed day-to-day by the owner with family support and trusted local contractors. This model keeps operating costs low and responsiveness high. Customers deal with familiar faces. That local approach creates stronger community ties. We prioritise local suppliers where possible, such as our popular Heavy Duty Moving Boxes manufactured up in Auckland.
Innovation and future projects
We prioritise high-leverage, low-risk projects with clear customer benefits. Current initiatives include:
- Wine storage conversion. Planning to convert an unused WWII bunker basement into premium wine storage. The basement’s stable temperature and humidity suit cellar conditions and a niche market.
- Space rationalisation. Reworking poorly shaped corridors and underused pockets into efficient lockers and well-shaped units to improve $/m² while matching demand. Coming in December 2025!
- Access control improvements. Transitioning to OpenTech to enable better integration and the option of further enhancing unit security & richer reporting.
What finalists receive
Finalists receive industry publicity, a framed certificate, the right to use the SSAA Awards logo for four years and placement in SSAA publications. Winners receive additional publicity, professional photographs, a trophy, a press release and advertising support. Even being shortlisted delivers immediate credibility with customers and local partners.
From the owner
Being named a finalist recognises the hard work our small team has put into making storage safer and more straightforward for Wellington residents. This nomination shows how a local operator can punch above our weight by focusing on practical investments that directly benefit customers.”
— Thomas Southgate, Store Manager / Owner
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