U-Haul 2006 Annual Report Download - page 88

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At our owned and operated retail centers we have implemented several customer service initiatives. These
initiatives include improving management of our rental equipment to provide our retail centers with the right type of
rental equipment, at the right time and at the most convenient location for our customers, effective marketing of our
broad line of self-moving related products and services, maintaining longer hours of operation to provide more
convenience to our customers, and increasing staff by attracting and retaining “moonlighters” (part-time U-Haul
employees with full-time jobs elsewhere) during our peak hours of operation.
Effective marketing of our self-moving related products and services, such as boxes, pads and insurance, helps our
customers have a better moving experience and helps them protect their belongings from potential damage during
the moving process. We are committed to providing a complete line of products selected with the “do-it-yourself”
moving and storage customer in mind.
These actions are leveraged by over 1,450 Company operated retail centers and enable the Company to provide
better customer service, which we believe has led to increased sales and increased productivity.
Our self-storage business consists of U-Haul self-storage room rentals, self-storage related products and service
sales and management of self-storage facilities not owned by the Company.
U-Haul is one of the largest North American operators of self-storage and has been a leader in the self-storage
industry since 1974. U-Haul operates over 377,750 storage rooms, approximately 33.2 million square feet of storage
space with locations in 49 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul’ s owned and managed self-storage facility
locations range in size up to 171,500 square feet of storage space, with individual storage units in sizes ranging from
6 square feet to 845 square feet.
The primary market for storage rooms is the storage of household goods. We believe that our self-storage services
provide a competitive advantage through such things as Maximum Security (“MAX”), an electronic system that
monitors the storage facility 24 hours a day; climate control; individually alarmed rooms; extended hour access; and
an internet - based customer reservation and account management system.
eMove is an online marketplace that connects consumers to over 2,880 independent sellers of Moving Help® and
Self-Storage services. Our network of customer-rated Affiliates provides pack and load help, cleaning help, self-
storage and similar services, all over North America.
An individual or a company can connect to the eMove network by becoming an eMove Moving Help® Affiliate
or an eMove Storage Affiliate™. Moving Helpers assist customers with packing, loading, cleaning and unloading
their truck or storage unit. The Storage Affiliate program enables independent self-storage facilities to expand their
reach by connecting into a centralized 1-800 and internet reservation system and for a fee, receive an array of
services including web-based management software, Secured Online Affiliated Rentals (S.O.A.R®), co-branded
rental trucks, savings on insurance, credit card processing and more. Approximately 2,700 facilities are now
registered on the eMove network.
With over 69,000 unedited reviews of independent vendors, the marketplace has facilitated Moving Help® and
Self-Storage transactions all over North America. We believe that acting as an intermediary, with little added
investment, serves the customer in a cost effective manner. Our goal is to further utilize our web-based technology
platform to increase service to consumers and businesses in the moving and storage market.
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