Entrepreneur KEVIN CHAN started STORE FRIENDLY to make a difference. Today’s market applause show he’s achieved that and much more. Here’s why.
Hong Kong storage industry has grown steadily over recent years thanks to rising rents and the growing state of the property market. While, the sector showed promise the industry grew too eager to milk this cash cow. As a result, storage companies offering safety-compromised facilities, careless service and locations that required customers to spend on transport, what they save on storage. Fires broke out in a few such facilities sending a wake up call through rank and file of the industry. For entrepreneur Kevin Chan, this was not news. Since he founded Store Friendly, he knew the industry would do well to put quality first. In an interview to this very magazine he pointed out the importance of being earnest to a market that appreciates quality, sincerity of service and price-competitiveness.
Built to Serve
“I am an entrepreneur and I know how entrepreneurs think. Smart people outsource. They want safety, flexibility and customer care and that’s the niche we fill. We deliver beyond expectations,” says Chan.
“As a most competitive storage company in Hong Kong, we have always provides high-end and premium quality of service to our customers at a reasonable price. Also, in terms of location, we have more than a hundred branches which are geographically located on Hong Kong Island, Kowloon and in the New Territories though which we can serve the people of Hong Kong with dedication and offer quality services.” “We are the first to start the international exposure in the industry. You can easily find our foot-print across pan-Asia in places like Macau, Shanghai, Taiwan and Singapore. We are growing and expanding!”
Competitive Service
“To increase the market share, we would rather focus on reasonable price with the quality of services, conveniences, user-friendly instead of ‘cheap but low quality’. We hope our services are more lifestyle and leisure rather than just a storage service; therefore, we have wine cellar and bike storage for those hobbyists struggling with a storage problem. Moreover, besides traditional marketing, we have started digital marketing years ago to acquire young and potential customers,” explains Chan.
Building on Referrals
“To secure more referral business, we have our interior loyalty program and also we do a lot of joint promotions with different business. For example, we provide a storage discount for specialized bike customers, wine or hobbies’ customers. We target to do more referral business outside the box. “What sets us apart is the fact that we offer more value added service for our business alliances and customers. We are committed to corporate social responsibility and community charity with the aim to give back to the community through different channels and this too makes us a good choice to partner with.”
“Business (for me) is bigger than just selling services or products or innovating and forming marketable concepts. It is about people. I enjoy understanding what people need and that means people from all walks of life. We cater to the big and the small customer alike. We anticipate our customers needs and especially their need for ‘user-friendly’ services which explains our name. I want our customers to look at our facilities as their own. We use technology effectively to achieve this level of ease for our customers and that explains why most of our business today comes from referrals.”
Hi-tech Edge
“We will launch brand new concepts of storage such as virtual storage, instead of renting you rooms that you cannot fill up, we charge you for the space your items use. We use technology to help you manage your storage from online. We want to see storage will not be a problem anymore and storage becomes part of your lifestyle in 5 years. In the coming years competitive companies will outsource storage as a matter of course and the industry will grow more tech-driven and tailor-made. Locations will be more widespread and main-stream operators will consolidate to offer customers more value. For Store Friendly, the onus will be on innovation, differentiation and specialization. We will continue to add value and impress our customers. That’s what we do best,” Chan concludes.
For additional information please visit www.store-friendly.com
