Inside Self-Storage Releases 2021 Top-Operators Lists in Multiple Formats

Inside Self-Storage (ISS) has released its 2021 Top-Operators Lists, ranking the industry’s top 100 facility owners and top 50 third-party management companies by net rentable square feet. The lists include facility and brand owners, independents and property-management firms. Collected data also includes contact information, expansion plans, and each company’s number of locations and units. Simple list rankings are viewable on the ISS website, while detailed results are featured in the September issue of ISS Magazine.

The original Top-Operators List was issued as a single top-100 ranking by total square footage. For the past five years, ISS has broken the data into separate rankings for owned and managed square feet to reduce the potential for square-footage redundancy that can occur when using only total square-footage figures for all companies in a single list.

A more robust version of the data is available for purchase at the ISS Store. The 2021 package includes both complete lists in Excel format as well as a 20-page PDF companion comprising a three-page analytical report of the list results and a full representation of the rankings in easy-to-read format. The lists feature data on owned vs. managed self-storage facilities for companies that do both, with breakouts for number of facilities, units and square footage for each.

The report portion of the PDF analyzes growth, decline and general movement among this year's final list participants. It identifies companies in aggressive growth mode, notable portfolio declines, and up-and-comers in the business. It also tracks activity by the industry’s six largest players, putting their numbers in context with each other as well as the larger rankings. Previous lists for 2012 through 2020 are also available for purchase.

A gallery of the 2021 Top-Operators Lists is also viewable online, providing an inside look at company movement in the latest ranks. It includes historical and comparison data and offers insight to factors that affected the lists this year.

The Top-Operators Lists are compiled annually by ISS. Participation is voluntary and open to all self-storage operators. To be considered for the 2022 lists, self-storage operators can complete an online form to ensure they’re contacted when data collection begins next May/June.

For more than 30 years, ISS has provided informational resources for the self-storage industry. Its educational offerings include ISS magazine, the annual ISS World Expo, an extensive website, the ISS Store, and Self-Storage Talk, the industry’s largest online community.