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A new self-storage centre powered by the latest technology has opened in the Black Country.

Wolverhampton-based Westbeech Group has launched its first Nest Storage centre on Old Hall Industrial Estate, in Revival Street, Bloxwich.

Nest Storage is open 24/7 every day of the year with access granted via a mobile app. It is housed in what used to be a bowling alley on an industrial estate that was also once home to a snooker hall and gym.

Westbeech Group owns a number of industrial estates across the West Midlands and is in negotiations over a second site in Wolverhampton.

Managing director Ian Houghton said they had researched the self-storage market for the past 18 months before electing to partner with Engage, a Birmingham-based business which runs and manages 22 similar units for different º£½ÇÊÓƵ brands.

"Self storage is a well developed industry but most of the big players in the market constructed their dedicated units in the past five to ten years," he said.

"Since then, technology has changed dramatically what we can do and, particularly in the last 18 months, has taken giant strides forward.

"We believe we are launching with a cutting-edge product that is designed for today's tech-savvy customers.

"Our first unit has been custom designed with new technology inbuilt, whereas retrofitting can cost between £50,000 and £100,000 per site.

"But, while this technology can be utilised fully automatically, we have chosen to staff our first unit in order to facilitate our early users and ensure they feel comfortable with the technology."