Aaron's Opens 1,000th Location; Store Count Continues to Rise at Record-Breaking Pace

Furniture World News

Aaron Rents, Inc., a leader in the rental, sales and lease ownership, specialty retailing and rental of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, today announced it will officially open its 1,000th store location. The Company's milestone store is located in Swainsboro, Georgia, and the grand opening is expected to kick off another record-breaking year for store-count growth. "The opening of our 1,000th store confirms what we have stated now for several years. We are outperforming our competitors and our executive team has strong vision and a solid plan to continue our growth throughout 2005 and beyond," said R. Charles Loudermilk, Sr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Aaron Rents. "In fact, even though this is the official 1,000th location, a string of recent acquisitions has pushed our total Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership store count to more than one thousand, at a current figure of 1,031 stores and growing." According to Aaron's President Ken Butler, "We have been overwhelmed by the support of the residents of Swainsboro. If the success and excitement generated by the community for this store is any indication, the Aaron's concept has proven to be as viable in small-town America as it is in larger cities. This opens up numerous areas of the country as potential development sites for the Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership concept." Aaron's will mark the 1,000th store opening with an event in Swainsboro, Georgia, on Thursday, January 13th at 3:00 P.M. A large celebration will be attended by several corporate officers and executives including Tristan Montanero, Vice President, Central Operations; Mike Hickey, Vice President, Management Development; and Mark Rudnick, Vice President, Marketing. There will also be several dignitaries from Swainsboro present for the occasion including Mayor Ricky Stevens. Aaron's stores offer customers access to high quality furniture, appliances, electronics and computers for sale or as a lease-ownership arrangement. Customers have the option of buying their merchandise for an attractive cash price, or opting to lease their merchandise for even greater flexibility. With a lease option, customers make modest monthly payments and have the immediate use of the items they need without waiting for credit checks or other delays. Plus, Aaron's will take care of delivery, set-up, repairs and more for the duration of a customer's lease. The Aaron's concept has proven to be successful for half a century; in fact, the very first Aaron Rents location opened in Atlanta, Georgia in 1955. In order to honor 2005 as the Company's 50th year in business, Aaron's has announced the Company will conduct a Golden Anniversary Sweepstakes worth more than $78,000 in prizes. "Capitalizing on our long-standing and very successful partnerships in motorsports, five first prize winners will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Texas Motor Speedway on November 5 and 6, 2005. Fifty runners-up will each receive an autographed racing helmet signed by NASCAR driver Michael Waltrip, one of our spokespersons. And, Aaron's will put one lucky grand prize winner in the driver's seat of a car manufactured the same year the very first Aaron's opened for business -- a mint condition 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air," said Mark Rudnick, Aaron's Vice President of Marketing. Consumers can enter the Golden Anniversary Sweepstakes by visiting any Aaron's location or by visiting the Company's website at www.aaronrents.com. Aaron Rents, Inc. is a leader in the sale and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances, with more than 1,030 Company-operated and franchised stores in 45 states, Canada and Puerto Rico. The Company also manufactures an exclusive line of furniture, bedding and accessories at 10 facilities in four states.