Alternative investments are essential
More and more investors are shifting to alternatives to boost returns, generate income, provide diversification from traditional investments and achieve their goals.
What are alternative investments?
There are two main types.
- Private assets such as private equity, private credit, infrastructure and private real estate. They are more complex and less frequently traded than public stocks and bonds, and give investors access to additional sources of return.
- Hedge funds operate mainly in public markets but use less traditional tools such as short-selling and leverage.
Why should investors consider alternative investing?
The market is not the same as it was a decade or even two years ago. A traditional 60/40 portfolio (60% equities and 40% bonds or other fixed-income offerings) is no longer poised to keep up with today’s reality. Investors must adopt new strategies to build resilient portfolios for the long term.
BlackRock partners with companies that possess deep local operational knowledge to unlock private market investment opportunities in Asia Pacific.
Speakers
Ben Hickey, Head of Australian Real Estate, BlackRock
Hans Pearson, CEO and Co-founder, StoreLocal
Ben Self-storage in Australia is a sector with compelling fundamentals, and a strong growth outlook. Clearly, what was important for us at BlackRock, though, was finding a partner with a competitive advantage. And we're very proud to have found that in StoreLocal.
Ben The big news is our majority investment into this partnership. Hans, what does that mean for you and the team at StoreLocal?
Hans Look, it's been a really exciting journey for us in StoreLocal.
So for us to partner with BlackRock is a culmination of a lot of work. The focus was on culturally aligned capital. So working with people that understand our business, they can work with us to maintain our entrepreneurial spirit, remain nimble and flexible in the market. But really importantly, as the self-storage market in Australia and New Zealand evolves, ensure that we are capitalized as deeply as we need to be.
Ben Hans, both you and I share the same energy regarding the ambition for the platform. Can you tell us a little bit about what we've been up to quietly in the background?
Hans We've just completed the acquisition of the Keepsafe portfolio, which is an institutional quality Gen3 platform in Western Australia.
In addition, we secured the largest single asset acquisition in the Australian market at the Gold Coast just south of Brisbane.
We've also additionally secured half a dozen development sites.
So I think the characterization of our acquisitions and development continues to be majority off-market through deep industry relationships, which is something we really pride ourselves on to be a good custodian and participant within the industry.
But also on market, with the strength of the BlackRock team we’re able to execute a very significant portfolio acquisition in a competitive environment in a very short space of time.
We're really excited to be at the frontier and an industry pioneer in the Australian New Zealand market of the unmanned or remotely managed portfolio.
We took this move over five years ago, and it was driven by two things. One is customer experience coming out of the Covid cycle. Now our platform is entirely managed remotely offshore through customer experience.
But importantly, we are eyes on 24/7 so we can protect customers’ goods. And that is a real point of difference for us in the marketplace. The other is operating margin. So the unmanned platform enables us to deliver nearly a 10% better operating margin than our competitors in this market.
Globally that is a trend that large and medium sized operators are undertaking in the US and European markets, but still in Australia and New Zealand, the larger operators have hesitated to move. For us, it creates a fantastic opportunity.
Hans So Ben, enough from me. Let's hear from BlackRock. I'd love to hear what led you to identify proactively self-storage in Australia and New Zealand market and what were you looking for in a partner.
Ben As value-add investors, we need to outperform the market and we take a view that to do that, we need to think differently to our peers. Self-storage provides a very, very attractive and compelling investment case, to not only enter a sector as a relative early mover versus our institutional peers, but importantly, benefit from what we've seen occur in more mature markets like the US.
Certainly, self-storage provides a strong correlation to population growth and is less sensitive to GDP growth, which is attractive in this volatile macro environment.
When we look at the StoreLocal opportunity, it was certainly an exciting one in the market with an unmanned, digital, clear competitive advantage and significant room for growth and scale that we could unlock, providing that runway to above market returns.
Ben Hans, you know that myself and our team are deeply excited about this partnership. It's been great to talk to you today. Thank you. And I guess I'd hand over to you on things to look out for from the StoreLocal side in the next 12 months. Can we get a sneak peak in what’s ahead?
Hans For us, the next 12 months really looks like a continuation of the last five months. We are operating at speed. And we're really comforted by the BlackRock partnership and the institutional governance and guard rounds that help us to bring the depth and the quality of the resources within the BlackRock team.
It's going to be continued scale with discipline. We're going to stay focused as a combined team on revenue, value growth, and what's important for the customer. And I guess, look out for what's coming from StoreLocal with a lot of news over the next 12 months. And we can't wait for it.
Important information
This material is prepared by BlackRock and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of November 13, 2024, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by BlackRock to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by BlackRock, its officers, employees or agents. This material may contain ’forward looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any securities, BlackRock funds or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Investment involves risks. Past performance is not an indication for the future performance.
In Hong Kong, this material is issued by BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong.
In Singapore, this is issued by BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (Co. registration no. 200010143N). This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
In Australia, issued by: BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 (BIMAL). BIMAL is a part of the global BlackRock Group which comprises financial product issuers and investment managers around the world. Information provided is for illustrative and informational purposes and is subject to change. It has not been approved by any regulator.
Originally recorded: 9 December 2025.
Distribution: This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation. No part of this material may be reproduced or distributed in any manner without the prior written permission of BIMAL.
General Information: This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should assess whether the material is appropriate for you and obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL’s Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdiction.
Investment Risk: Any investment is subject to investment risk, including the loss of income or the principal invested and delays on the payment of withdrawal proceeds. While any forecasts, estimates and opinions in this material are made on a reasonable basis, actual future results and operations may differ materially from the forecasts, estimates and opinions set out in this material. No guarantee as to the repayment of capital or the performance of any product or rate of return referred to in this material is made by any entity in the BlackRock group of companies.
Accuracy & Liability: BIMAL, its officers, employees and agents believe that the information in this material and the sources on which it is based (which may be sourced from third parties) are correct as at the date of publication. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this material, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility for the information is accepted by BIMAL, its officers, employees or agents. Except where contrary to law, BIMAL excludes all liability for this information.
No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or distributed without the prior written consent of BlackRock.
© 2026 BlackRock, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights reserved. BLACKROCK, BLACKROCK SOLUTIONS, ALADDIN, iSHARES and the stylised i logo are registered and unregistered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.
MKTG0226-5170058-EXP0227
Speakers
Ben Hickey, Head of Australian Real Estate, BlackRock
Hans Pearson, CEO and Co-founder, StoreLocal
Ben Self-storage in Australia is a sector with compelling fundamentals, and a strong growth outlook. Clearly, what was important for us at BlackRock, though, was finding a partner with a competitive advantage. And we're very proud to have found that in StoreLocal.
Ben The big news is our majority investment into this partnership. Hans, what does that mean for you and the team at StoreLocal?
Hans Look, it's been a really exciting journey for us in StoreLocal.
So for us to partner with BlackRock is a culmination of a lot of work. The focus was on culturally aligned capital. So working with people that understand our business, they can work with us to maintain our entrepreneurial spirit, remain nimble and flexible in the market. But really importantly, as the self-storage market in Australia and New Zealand evolves, ensure that we are capitalized as deeply as we need to be.
Ben Hans, both you and I share the same energy regarding the ambition for the platform. Can you tell us a little bit about what we've been up to quietly in the background?
Hans We've just completed the acquisition of the Keepsafe portfolio, which is an institutional quality Gen3 platform in Western Australia.
In addition, we secured the largest single asset acquisition in the Australian market at the Gold Coast just south of Brisbane.
We've also additionally secured half a dozen development sites.
So I think the characterization of our acquisitions and development continues to be majority off-market through deep industry relationships, which is something we really pride ourselves on to be a good custodian and participant within the industry.
But also on market, with the strength of the BlackRock team we’re able to execute a very significant portfolio acquisition in a competitive environment in a very short space of time.
We're really excited to be at the frontier and an industry pioneer in the Australian New Zealand market of the unmanned or remotely managed portfolio.
We took this move over five years ago, and it was driven by two things. One is customer experience coming out of the Covid cycle. Now our platform is entirely managed remotely offshore through customer experience.
But importantly, we are eyes on 24/7 so we can protect customers’ goods. And that is a real point of difference for us in the marketplace. The other is operating margin. So the unmanned platform enables us to deliver nearly a 10% better operating margin than our competitors in this market.
Globally that is a trend that large and medium sized operators are undertaking in the US and European markets, but still in Australia and New Zealand, the larger operators have hesitated to move. For us, it creates a fantastic opportunity.
Hans So Ben, enough from me. Let's hear from BlackRock. I'd love to hear what led you to identify proactively self-storage in Australia and New Zealand market and what were you looking for in a partner.
Ben As value-add investors, we need to outperform the market and we take a view that to do that, we need to think differently to our peers. Self-storage provides a very, very attractive and compelling investment case, to not only enter a sector as a relative early mover versus our institutional peers, but importantly, benefit from what we've seen occur in more mature markets like the US.
Certainly, self-storage provides a strong correlation to population growth and is less sensitive to GDP growth, which is attractive in this volatile macro environment.
When we look at the StoreLocal opportunity, it was certainly an exciting one in the market with an unmanned, digital, clear competitive advantage and significant room for growth and scale that we could unlock, providing that runway to above market returns.
Ben Hans, you know that myself and our team are deeply excited about this partnership. It's been great to talk to you today. Thank you. And I guess I'd hand over to you on things to look out for from the StoreLocal side in the next 12 months. Can we get a sneak peak in what’s ahead?
Hans For us, the next 12 months really looks like a continuation of the last five months. We are operating at speed. And we're really comforted by the BlackRock partnership and the institutional governance and guard rounds that help us to bring the depth and the quality of the resources within the BlackRock team.
It's going to be continued scale with discipline. We're going to stay focused as a combined team on revenue, value growth, and what's important for the customer. And I guess, look out for what's coming from StoreLocal with a lot of news over the next 12 months. And we can't wait for it.
Important information
This material is prepared by BlackRock and is not intended to be relied upon as a forecast, research or investment advice, and is not a recommendation, offer or solicitation to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any investment strategy. The opinions expressed are as of November 13, 2024, and may change as subsequent conditions vary. The information and opinions contained in this material are derived from proprietary and non-proprietary sources deemed by BlackRock to be reliable, are not necessarily all-inclusive and are not guaranteed as to accuracy. As such, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility arising in any other way for errors and omissions (including responsibility to any person by reason of negligence) is accepted by BlackRock, its officers, employees or agents. This material may contain ’forward looking’ information that is not purely historical in nature. Such information may include, among other things, projections and forecasts. There is no guarantee that any forecasts made will come to pass. Reliance upon information in this material is at the sole discretion of the reader. This material is intended for information purposes only and does not constitute investment advice or an offer or solicitation to purchase or sell in any securities, BlackRock funds or any investment strategy nor shall any securities be offered or sold to any person in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation, purchase or sale would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction. Investment involves risks. Past performance is not an indication for the future performance.
In Hong Kong, this material is issued by BlackRock Asset Management North Asia Limited and has not been reviewed by the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong.
In Singapore, this is issued by BlackRock (Singapore) Limited (Co. registration no. 200010143N). This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
In Australia, issued by: BlackRock Investment Management (Australia) Limited ABN 13 006 165 975, AFSL 230 523 (BIMAL). BIMAL is a part of the global BlackRock Group which comprises financial product issuers and investment managers around the world. Information provided is for illustrative and informational purposes and is subject to change. It has not been approved by any regulator.
Originally recorded: 9 December 2025.
Distribution: This material is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to local law or regulation. No part of this material may be reproduced or distributed in any manner without the prior written permission of BIMAL.
General Information: This material provides general information only and does not take into account your individual objectives, financial situation, needs or circumstances. Before making any investment decision, you should assess whether the material is appropriate for you and obtain financial advice tailored to you having regard to your individual objectives, financial situation, needs and circumstances. Refer to BIMAL’s Financial Services Guide on its website for more information. This material is not a financial product recommendation or an offer or solicitation with respect to the purchase or sale of any financial product in any jurisdiction.
Investment Risk: Any investment is subject to investment risk, including the loss of income or the principal invested and delays on the payment of withdrawal proceeds. While any forecasts, estimates and opinions in this material are made on a reasonable basis, actual future results and operations may differ materially from the forecasts, estimates and opinions set out in this material. No guarantee as to the repayment of capital or the performance of any product or rate of return referred to in this material is made by any entity in the BlackRock group of companies.
Accuracy & Liability: BIMAL, its officers, employees and agents believe that the information in this material and the sources on which it is based (which may be sourced from third parties) are correct as at the date of publication. While every care has been taken in the preparation of this material, no warranty of accuracy or reliability is given and no responsibility for the information is accepted by BIMAL, its officers, employees or agents. Except where contrary to law, BIMAL excludes all liability for this information.
No part of this material may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or distributed without the prior written consent of BlackRock.
© 2026 BlackRock, Inc. or its affiliates. All Rights reserved. BLACKROCK, BLACKROCK SOLUTIONS, ALADDIN, iSHARES and the stylised i logo are registered and unregistered trademarks of BlackRock, Inc. or its affiliates. All other trademarks are those of their respective owners.
MKTG0226-5170058-EXP0227
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