5 Questions on self-storage bins to Woldemar Junker – CEO of Junker Relocation Services in Berlin and inventor of the JunkerBox
by Diana Franz

Mr Junker, when hearing about the self-storage box your company offers, one automatically thinks about warehouses. What is it, that makes that business special and what are storage boxes?

The self-storage box business is different from the traditional storage business. It’s not quite sexy but the idea is to break up old structures and make the customers‘ life more easy – in every respect. The times when customers were satisfied with just a lumber-room for their old stuff are long gone. Simplicity is king and so is transparency and substainability. This is why when offering self-storage boxes, we’re making sure that the customers themselves don’t need to put a foot into a storage facility any more. The service allows tenants to order order the pickup of their goods from a preferred location and it’s also possible to arrange a packing service. The boxes are being stored in a secure and clean storage facility,

Self-storage rent bins are lockable robust boxes made from hard plastic or similar materials and offer enough space for household goods or small goods such as clothing, electronic articles, folders, shoes or books and are made for a space of e.g. 80 litres and a weight of around 100 pounds.

The storage bins are usually being picked up from our clients‘ appartments so it makes storage more easy for them. To make self-storage more transparent, some providers or self-storage boxes offer tenants a virtual visual catalogue from which single items can be ordered back. Tenants are usually being charged a fine for pickup and delivery, as well as a monthly fee for the storage at self-storage facilities. That’s actually not the traditional self-storage service.

Are there any plans to expand your business?

Geographically, we’re focusing on the Berlin market at this stage. For the self-storage bin industry, the capital has the strongest product/market fit and offers us not only the abiliy to grow but also to achieve fast learnings and a high customer satisfaction.

How did your organization get financed?

We have been active in the relocation industry for years and our company is growing constantly. At that time the JunkerBox received private funding from two angel investors to cover costs for operations, technology and materials. We’re currently working on an own virtual storage system these days, this is quite capital-intensive.

Can you tell us a bit more about your personal background and what you would recommend to young entrepreneurs?

Prior to founding Junker Relocation Services in Berlin I studied Industrial Mathematics at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. During my times as a student I worked as a removal man for some years and I discovered a lot of issues that I thought could be actually improved and I learned that the relocation industry wasn’t being very innovative. I wanted to change that since I really didn’t agree to the way people treated their assets. Since this doesn’t really requires a degree in Industrial Mathematics I was however shocked how far things have come. I things that how entrepreneurs think and act really – they want to remedy situations and improve industries. If that’s what you’re into and you can find a way to make money through that then you shouldn’t hesitate to dive into the ocean of entrepreneurship and set sails.

Mr Junker, thank you very much for your insights!

This interview was published as part of Ms Franz‘  skilled work, Diana  is a student at the BBW University of Applied Sciences in Berlin.

Umzugsfirma Junker Berlin ist eine Umzugsfirma in Berlin die Kunden und Interessenten innovative Lagerboxen anbietet. Unsere Lagerboxen können auf Wunsch bestellt und abgeholt werden, die Mietdauer beträgt mindestens eine Woche und lässt sich beliebig verlängern. Besuchen Sie uns auch auf unserer Website der Umzugsfirma Junker Berlin, wir freuen uns ebenfalls über einen Like auf unserer Facebook-Fanpage oder über einen Besuch unserer Kollegen von der Umzugshilfe Berlin.