Self-Storage in Fairbanks: U-Haul to Reuse Old Sears for New Facility

FAIRBANKS, Alaska, Feb. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® will soon be showcasing a new moving and self-storage facility in Fairbanks thanks to the recent acquisition of the former Sears® store at 3115 Airport Way.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Fairbanks will begin operating out of a temporary showroom and offering truck and trailer sharing, towing equipment, moving supplies, U-Box® portable storage containers and professional hitch installation on March 1. U-Haul acquired the 90,890-square-foot building on Jan. 18.

"This location is perfect for U-Haul because the South Fairbanks neighborhoods are bustling. Folks in this area need a high-quality moving and self-storage facility," said John Norris, U-Haul Company of Alaska president. "We're pleased to bring our state-of-the-art U-Haul services to this area."

While U-Haul Moving & Storage of South Fairbanks is undergoing renovations, customers can contact U-Haul Moving & Storage of Fairbanks at (907) 459-0374 for additional services like self-storage. Hours of operation are 7 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday and Saturday; 7 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday; and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday.

Adaptive reuse of the former Sears will soon render about 700 indoor self-storage units, giving customers access to climate-controlled rooms with high-tech security features at affordable price points. Heated load and unload area and propane will also be offered on the 7.78-acre property in the near future.

The recent acquisition of the former Sears was driven by U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. Our adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

"Reusing old buildings has been a staple of our Company's business model for decades," Norris said. "Almost 70 percent of our 1,800-plus U-Haul-owned and -operated stores are a product of adaptive reuse. Now we're able to utilize our eco-friendly design here in Fairbanks."

Norris expects to maintain a staff of eight or more Team Members when the store is fully operational. U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote growth within the Fairbanks community. U-Haul always encourages local contractors to bid on renovation work.

The arrival of U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 is revolutionizing the moving industry through its more convenient, more secure way to pick up and return a truck. U-Haul live verification technology allows rental transactions to be carried out entirely on a smartphone at any hour – day or night. There are no membership fees. Simply visit uhaul.com to create an online account.

About U-Haul

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 21,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 now offers customers access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the self-service options on their internet-connected mobile devices. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to 161,000 trucks, 118,000 trailers and 42,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 632,000 rooms and 55.2 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry and is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S.

Contact:

Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: publicrelations@uhaul.com 
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul