U-Haul Repurposing Historic Pineapple Cannery for New Store in Honolulu

HONOLULU, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- U-Haul® is now serving do-it-yourself movers at the historic American Cannery Co. building located at 720 Iwilei Road.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Iwilei, which will be the Company's fourth full-service center on the island of Oahu, is currently operating out of a temporary showroom. Customers already have access to truck sharing, moving supplies and boxes.

The store will soon offer more than 700 indoor climate-controlled self-storage units for rent; towing equipment; professional hitch installation; a drive-in load/unload area to shield customers from the weather; and much more.

Property renovations will be guided by the Company's adaptive reuse program to repurpose old and often vacant buildings for new U-Haul stores – a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to ground-up construction. Kaleo Alau, U-Haul Company of Hawaii president, said his team intends to maintain as much of the building's original character as possible.

U-Haul acquired the sprawling 140,323-square-foot building on Nov. 22. It sits on 1.76 acres.

Contact U-Haul Moving & Storage of Iwilei at (808) 829-4839 or stop by to see our progress. Hours of operation are 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Reserve equipment at uhaul.com or contact Reservations at 1-800-GO-UHAUL.

"This building dates back to 1914 and is full of the rich history Hawaii is known for," Alau said. "It was occupied for nearly 60 years by the American Can Co., which produced the tin cans that used to package Hawaii pineapple. We are honored to preserve this piece of Hawaii's past while giving it a new purpose."

The cannery once packaged pineapple for the Hawaiian Pineapple Co., founded by James Dole. The current Dole® cannery is located right next door.

U-Haul Moving & Storage of Iwilei will be the sixth U-Haul-owned and -operated store in Hawaii. There are 23 independent small businesses in Hawaii serving DIY movers as U-Haul neighborhood dealers.

Acquisition of old cannery was driven by U-Haul Corporate Sustainability initiatives: U-Haul supports infill developments to help local communities lower their carbon footprint. The adaptive reuse of existing buildings reduces the amount of energy and resources required for new-building materials and helps cities reduce their unwanted inventory of unused buildings.

"U-Haul has an extensive history of renovating buildings like this one," Alau said. "About 70% of all U-Haul stores are the result of adaptive reuse. We know the people of Honolulu will love our finished product, and we are excited to continue investing in the success of the islands."

Once U-Haul Moving & Storage of Iwilei is fully operational, Alau aims to staff the facility with local hires to promote employment in the Honolulu community. U-Haul, honored as a "Best for Vets 2020" leading veteran-friendly employer by The Military Times, actively recruits veterans and gives them preference in the hiring process. Find U-Haul careers at uhauljobs.com.

As an essential service provider, U-Haul continues to serve communities during the COVID-19 recovery while offering contactless business programs and enhanced cleaning protocols, including added steps for sanitizing equipment between customer transactions. U-Haul products are used daily by First Responders; delivery companies bringing needed supplies to people's homes; small businesses trying to remain afloat; college students; and many other dependent groups, in addition to the do-it-yourself household mover.

About U-HAUL 

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the No. 1 choice of do-it-yourself movers, with a network of more than 23,000 locations across all 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces. U-Haul Truck Share 24/7 offers secure access to U-Haul trucks every hour of every day through the customer dispatch option on their smartphones and our proprietary Live Verify technology. Our customers' patronage has enabled the U-Haul fleet to grow to approximately 176,000 trucks, 126,000 trailers and 46,000 towing devices. U-Haul offers nearly 825,000 rentable storage units and 71.6 million square feet of self-storage space at owned and managed facilities throughout North America. U-Haul is the largest retailer of propane in the U.S., and continues to be the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket industry. U-Haul has been recognized repeatedly as a leading "Best for Vets" employer and was recently named one of the 15 Healthiest Workplaces in America.

Contact:

Andrea Batchelor
Jeff Lockridge
E-mail: [email protected]
Phone: 602-263-6981
Website: uhaul.com

SOURCE U-Haul