U-Haul to Create Jobs and 1,100 Self-Storage Units in Athens

Company’s first Athens store is scheduled to open in 2026

ATHENS, Ala.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U-Haul® has announced plans to build a retail, moving and self-storage center at 16298 Athens-Limestone Blvd.

The 5.3-acre site scheduled for development was purchased earlier this year and will host the first U-Haul-owned and -operated facility in historical Athens. U-Haul Moving & Storage in Athens on I-65 is slated to open March 2026.

The three-story center will include 1,100 indoor self-storage units. More than half the rooms will offer climate-control options. Customers will have access to moving trucks, trailers, towing devices, U-Box containers, professional hitch installation, propane refills and propane exchange. A sprawling retail showroom will sell boxes and moving supplies, bike racks, towing accessories, locks and much more.

Plans also call for the creation of a U-Box warehouse that will hold up to 1,000 portable moving and storage containers. U-Box containers offer the flexibility of home delivery and pick up, storage at a secure U-Haul facility, and shipment to almost anywhere in the world.

“We are excited to be a new member of the Athens community,” said Brad Weston, U-Haul Company of Northern Alabama president. “Prior to this center being built, the area has been served by local small businesses who make up the U-Haul Dealer Network. They’ve done a wonderful job because the demand for our products and services in Athens has grown.”

Weston plans to hire up to 14 Team Members to staff the new store. U-Haul will look to hire locally to promote job growth in the Athens community. U-Haul, honored as a Best for Vets employer by The Military Times, actively recruits veterans and gives them preference in the hiring process. Find U-Haul careers at uhauljobs.com.

Until the Athens store is ready, customers can find rental equipment at dealer locations in Athens, Huntsville and Decatur by visiting uhaul.com/locations. There are also full-service facilities within a 20-mile radius of Athens, including U-Haul at Beltline at 2002 Beltline Road.

U-Haul has partnered with independent dealers to provide communities with accessible mobility since 1945. During these challenging times, more than 21,000 small businesses across the U.S. and Canada are generating supplemental income by partnering with U-Haul. When customers rent from their local U-Haul dealers, they are directly supporting small businesses in their community. Because there is no financial investment from dealers, they are not U-Haul franchises. They are simply small businesses with enough lot space to park U-Haul equipment and enough time to welcome more customers while meeting the mobility needs of their neighbors. Learn how to partner with U-Haul at uhaul.com/dealer.

About U-HAUL

Founded in 1945, U-Haul is the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers with more than 23,000 rental locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. The U-Haul app makes it easy for customers to use U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 to access trucks anytime through the self-dispatch and -return options on their smartphones with our patented Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to 188,700 trucks, 139,400 trailers and 43,700 towing devices. U-Haul is the third largest self-storage operator in North America with 1,004,000 rentable units and 86.8 million square feet of self-storage space at Company-owned and -managed facilities. U-Haul is the top retailer of propane in the U.S. and the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. Get the U-Haul app from the App Store or Google Play.