Auckland, New Zealand-based Smartbox Mobile Self Storage has just opened its second Australian branch, this one in Melbourne. The first, which is in Sydney, opened three years ago.

Founders Steve and Jonelle Phillips have continued to expand, despite facing many challenges.

After Jonelle and I started on the road, having built the business from nothing, the idea of mobile self-storage caught on pretty quick, and we grew fast, Steve Phillips, a former milkman who started the business six years ago, told the source. When we had established ourselves in Auckland, we decided to look at other potential markets. The nearest markets that made sense for expansion were on the Aussie East Coast, starting with Sydney.

Apart from setting up the bricks and mortar and all the logistical headaches, we faced the challenge of changing the local mindset of people when it came to self-storage. This is something that we still struggle to achieve. When people think of self-storage, they only imagine the traditional way," Phillips said.

With three facilities, Smartbox offers mobile self-storage in the Auckland, Melbourne and Sydney metropolitan areas to residential and commercial customers. A trailer is sent to the customer's premises with an empty container. The customer then fills up the container and locks it. The trailer is then towed back to the facility, where the container is stored until the customer requires access or re-delivery.

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