Bien Sûr Uses Stora to Rapidly Achieve Over 40% Occupancy

Who are Bien Sûr?

Bien Sûr began as a valet storage business, pivoting into self storage after realising the potential of self storage, and the higher margins on offer. With a strong emphasis on providing a technology-enabled seamless customer experience, they adopted Stora for their self storage management software.

Key info

• Founded in 2021

• Staffed facility with 330 units

• Located in Bois d'Arcy Versailles, France

• Second site under construction with plans for many more.

In conversation, the founders of Bien Sûr discussed their journey from valet storage into self storage. What factors played in to their decision to choose Stora over competitors, and how Stora has been the perfect fit for their modern approach to the industry.

“We saved so much time and money, by not having to develop our own system or use another third party one. The ease of use and the fast learning curve has benefited our business so much.”

The Challenge

The founders of Bien Sûr recognized the challenges of valet storage, from increased labour costs to restricted customer access. They wanted to minimise administrative burdens, enhance customer experience, and enable efficient online bookings. With 330 units in their first facility, managing everything with a single sales representative was a challenge they hoped to overcome with the right software.

The Solution

The Bien Sûr team attended 2021 FEDESSA European Self Storage Conference. There they got speaking to the Stora team and discovered a platform they believed to be the perfect fit for their business approach. The cloud-based nature of Stora, combined with well-rounded features like online bookings and payments and a modern intuitive user experience, drew them in. The software's continuous improvement, thanks to feedback-driven feature releases and a public roadmap, sealed the deal.

The Results

With Stora, Bien Sûr’s first facility filled up rapidly, reaching over 40% in a short period. They were able to get leads before they even opened thanks to Stora's pre-opening website.

In addition, Stora’s tight integration with smart entry access control systems, enabled them to automate customer access. Since becoming a customer they’ve availed of new features with no set up or costs required like Stora’s award-winning self storage facility maps.

“The integration with access control is essential and seamless! We also love the map feature, where you can quickly see how well your site is doing.”

Has Stora made entering the self storage market easier than you anticipated?

Stora has helped in managing the entire customer experience. Otherwise, we would have used a software which doesn't match our needs as well.

How has Stora benefitted your business overall?

We saved so much time and money, by not having to develop our own system or use another third party one. The ease of use and the fast learning curve has benefited our business so much.

What are your thoughts on the role of modern technology, such as automation, in the self storage industry?

It's huge, but I think it will take years to adopt, and for good reason. Automation right now mostly makes sense for small storage sites, gradually it will make sense for larger and larger sites as prices come down and customers demand it more. It's just a question of time, I believe.

Your advice for self storage startups?

Self storage is a great business, but beware of underestimating your costs and the value of your time! I've seen many startups underestimate costs and hence open up unprofitable storage centres. Once you invest in construction and signing a lease, there's no going back. So make sure to have a sound business plan, and don't hesitate to reach out to people who have already done it. I'm happy to help, I've already helped several founders, and fortunately prevented a few from losing a lot of money!