When Queenie Fan planned to move out from her former apartment in November, she decided to put her furniture in self storage as she did her apartment hunting.

"They gave me a special discount for 4 sq m of storage space. At about 1,000 yuan ($160) per month, I think the price is acceptable," said Fan, 27, who is in the corporate banking business at a commercial bank in Shanghai.

She turned to Ministorage, which is a 30-minute drive from her home.