Work-From-Home (WFH) norms and the preference to move to hometowns — to save on rent or to seek alternative sources of livelihood amid the COVID-19 pandemic — has led to a spurt in demand for relocation and storage services, said Anjani Kumar Agarwal, CEO, Agarwal Packers and Movers (DRS Group, Hyderabad).
“Although there was no activity in the initial period of the lockdown, the real action started from August with the easing of lockdown. WFH has been driving the relocation business over the last three months,” he said.
“During the pandemic, people have realised the importance of owning a house and many of them also temporarily moved homes to other towns and cities. The need for hygiene and safety measures during the pandemic has moved some of the relocation business from unorganised to organised players as we have pre-defined safety measures and undertake audits,” he added.
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He said the company had also seen more demand for storage solutions and capitalised on the opportunity.
Secure storage
“We have seen a massive increase in storage solutions usage in the last few months. Some individuals are moving back to their hometowns, pushing up demand for storage solutions, where household items and other belongings are stocked securely in warehouses for a desired period at a nominal rental cost,” he said.
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“We are witnessing an increase in usage by 25% during the last couple of months, indicating the trend is here to stay. Some of our patrons have been from banking, defence, ITeS, and public sector,” Mr. Agarwal added.
Generally, 80% of the relocation business comes from defence, ITeS, PSU and private sector employees moving from one city to another following transfers. Now, the work-from-home trend is driving the business, according to the company.