UniGroup - Competitors

UniGroup Competition

Now Viewing UniGroup's competition in: Moving and Storage (primary)

Recent Developments

Legislation Would Regulate Fuel Surcharges - A bill introduced in the Senate would mandate 100 percent pass-through of fuel surcharges levied by shippers to whomever actually buys the fuel. The Truthful Reliable Understanding of Consumer Costs Act is intended to help owner-operator truck drivers financially pressured due to rising diesel fuel costs. Many shipping companies pass along only a portion of fuel surcharges to the truckers actually hauling the freight and paying the fuel bill, according to the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association.

Bill Would Preserve Truck Weight Limit - The Safe Truck Operations and Preservation Act of 2008 would maintain the current 80,000-pound truck weight limit, and is intended to thwart lobbying efforts to allow heavier trucks on US roads. Shippers and truckers have been lobbying Congress to allow 97,000 pound trucks in six states as part of a demonstration project they want included in the next highway reauthorization bill, according to Traffic World.

US Existing Home Sales Decline Continues - US existing home sales, a driver of demand for moving and storage services, fell 19.3 percent in March 2008 compared to the same period in 2007, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). Existing home sales declined in seven of eight months ending March 2008. NAR expects existing home sales to begin recovering in the second half of 2008.

Competitive Landscape

Home sales, residential rental turnover, and corporate relocations drive demand for moving and storage services. The profitability of individual companies depends on good marketing, as services are largely the same. Small companies can compete with large ones by offering competitive prices and better service for local moves. Large companies have economies of scale in being able to consolidate loads on long hauls. The industry is fairly labor-intensive: average annual revenue per employee is about $120,000.

Full Industry Overview For Moving and Storage

Moving and Storage Industry Forecast

from Hoover's/D&B subsidiary First Research

US personal consumption expenditures for other personal and business services, which include moving and storage facilities and services, are forecast to grow at an annual compounded rate of 4.7 percent between 2007 and 2012.

Steady Consumer Spending Growth on Personal, Business Services

First Research forecasts are based on INFORUM forecasts that are licensed from the Interindustry Economic Research Fund, Inc. (IERF) in College Park, MD. INFORUM's "interindustry-macro" approach to modeling the economy captures the links between industries and the aggregate economy.