U-Haul Reusing Former Kmart for Retail, Storage in Byron Center

BYRON CENTER, Mich., July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® will soon be presenting an impressive retail and self-storage facility in Byron Center thanks to the recent acquisition of the former Kmart® property at 701 68th St. SW.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Byron Center is currently operating out of a temporary showroom and offering truck and trailer sharing, towing equipment and moving supplies. U-Haul acquired the 115,440-square-foot building in March.

Adaptive reuse of the property will render about 50,000 square feet of indoor self-storage, giving customers access to climate-controlled rooms with high-tech security features at affordable price points. The facility should be fully operational by spring 2020.

"U-Haul will be renovating the vacant Kmart store to serve as a state-of-the-art moving and self-storage facility," said Jonathan Gilmore, U-Haul Company of Western Michigan president. "Big-box stores like this can remain vacant and become blight on communities. Our initiative is to breathe life back into these buildings and invite other businesses to invest in the neighborhood."

Contact U-Haul Moving & Storage of Byron Center at (616) 426-6193 or stop by to visit general manager Sonya Will and her team. Current hours of operation are 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.

Acquisition of the former Kmart store was driven by U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower its carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

"This site was attractive to us because our ecofriendly business model encourages the reuse of existing facilities," Gilmore said. "We want to serve as a business anchor in Byron Center while renovating a large space to meet the self-storage demands of our neighbors."

U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 is revolutionizing the moving industry through its more convenient, more secure way to pick up and return a truck. Since 2017, U-Haul Live Verify℠ technology has allowed customers to conduct transactions entirely on their smartphones at any hour – day or night. There are no membership fees. Create an online account at uhaul.com to start skipping the lines and stop worrying about store hours.

For self-movers who aim to keep their costs low but need extra hands to help with their move, MovingHelp.com has been successfully pairing customers with reliable Moving Help® Service Providers for more than a decade. The online marketplace lets customers shop and compare local moving companies that provide labor services including: loading and unloading, packing and unpacking, cleaning, and U-Box pick up/delivery. More than 1.5 million unedited customer reviews, transparent pricing and payment release subject to customer approval have led to 93 percent of Moving Help users rating their experience four stars or higher.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of 22,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 167,000 trucks, 120,000 trailers and 43,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 697,000 rooms and 60.7 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry, and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com

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SOURCE U-Haul