CHICAGO, February 15, 2011 – Equity International, the privately held investor and builder of world-class companies outside of the United States, announced today the closing of a US$58 million investment in GuardeAqui, a privately owned self-storage company based in São Paulo, Brazil. With this investment, Equity International now has six portfolio companies in Brazil.

Founded in 2006, GuardeAqui is Brazil’s first and leading self-storage operating company with a highly diverse range of commercial and residential tenants. The Company has effectively established the self-storage industry in Brazil and is uniquely positioned to lead the next phase of extraordinary growth. GuardeAqui currently owns and operates three facilities in key locations in the São Paulo metropolitan area including Lapa, Liberdade and Santo Amaro. With approximately 23,000 square meters (approximately 248,000 square feet) of leasable space, the Company is the dominant Brazilian self-storage owner/operator.

“Equity International is regularly at the vanguard of new markets and industry sectors. GuardeAqui represents another first for us in one of the most promising real estate sectors in Brazil,” said Gary Garrabrant, chief executive officer of Equity International. “Equity International is recognized as a leading investor and builder of companies and we are extremely excited about the opportunity for GuardeAqui created by the long-term, explosive growth of the middle class in Brazil.”

The self-storage sector in Brazil is currently small and generally non-professional, characterized by limited competition consisting largely of single-store operators with mixed-quality properties and insufficient capital for meaningful growth. Originated in the United States in the 1970s, self storage has proven to be a highly resilient and scalable sector – there are approximately 50,000 self-storage facilities in the United States today. By contrast, there are approximately 50 facilities in all of Brazil, most of which are concentrated in São Paulo. Given its experienced team, established platform and robust development pipeline, GuardeAqui enjoys a significant first-mover advantage in this compelling yet nascent industry sector.

“The investment from a preeminent investor such as Equity International confirms the strength of GuardeAqui’s platform and growth prospects,” said Mario Fernandez, GuardeAqui’s founder. “Equity International has set the standard for real estate-related company building outside of the United States and no doubt GuardeAqui will benefit immensely from their many contributions.”

Equity International’s investment in GuardeAqui will enable accelerated management and portfolio growth with the objective of creating a national platform. Equity International’s Christopher Fiegen and Gustavo Browne will join the Company’s Board of Directors.