Young, wealthy store their problems away

"We also have people who are moving to a new house. If the contract on their old house has already expired and the new one is not ready yet, they have to wait another two or three weeks before they can move in. So they just put their belongings in storage."

Trade show exhibitors are also a major segment of the self-storage industry.

Larger storages are popular among entrepreneurs, small companies and trade show exhibitors who don't want to spend money on warehouse space. Provided to China Daily

"If a foreigner wants to attend exhibitions in Shanghai and has samples, he often sends them months earlier to make sure they clear customs in time. Once cleared, exhibitors can store their samples for the exhibitions," he said.

"We also have landlords as customers. Some of their tenants decide not to use the existing furniture in the apartment. Rather than having it renting out, many landlords prefer to spend a bit of money to keep the unneeded furniture in self storage," he said.

Most of the company's customers are young, adaptable and practical individuals who don't like crowded living spaces and prefer to store away off-season clothes.

"It's a very efficient and modern lifestyle. We target a specific group of people. Self storage is a lifestyle product. You just use it for two or three weeks to solve temporary needs. Ultimately, this is a luxury," he said.

Shi Yingying contributed to this story.