Despite the growing popularity of valet self storage facilities, one recent self storage valet service has closed its doors in Chicago. SpaceWays, the startup that launched in October 2014, is packing up its U.S. operations in order to focus more on its operations in the U.K.
SpaceWays originated from the Germany-based company Rocket Internet, which is dubbed as the “world’s largest Internet incubator. It operates in London and Paris and the branch in Chicago marked its entrance into the U.S. market. According to an email SpaceWays sent its customers, it summed up its decision to leave Chicago as: “Due to our success in London, we are currently focusing all our efforts on developing the UK business. Unfortunately, that means we are going to shut down all other operations for the foreseeable future.”
SpaceWays operated like any other valet self storage service, offering customers the ability to have someone pick up and drop of boxes without actually having to ever enter an actual self storage facility. For less than $20 a month, persons in the Chicago area were able to enjoy premium self storage service, until now.
When the service first launched in Chicago, it was a rather novel idea since valet self storage had only recently started to penetrate the market. The venture was also new for Rocket Internet since it was the first time it was bringing a service into the country.
In October, Co-Founder David Fuchs said in a release that "The American storage industry is the biggest in the world, thus we believe there is huge growth potential for SpaceWays and our services." Added Co-Founder Rob Rebholz, “We are very excited about our transatlantic expansion.”
Even though SpaceWays is packing up its operations in Chicago, there are still plenty of valet storage options that are ready and willing to take its space.
