RentDirect Nationwide Expands Across U.S.

Furniture World Magazine

Nationwide Marketing Group, the nation’s largest buying and marketing organization for independent retailers, has launched RentDirect Nationwide, a purchasing and marketing organization for independent rental/lease dealers. Nationwide Marketing Group, with annual purchases of more than $9 billion in appliances, consumer electronics and furniture, said Nationwide’s strength and experience led the organization to move into the rental/lease area. “The rent-to-own industry is growing, and within the industry, independent retailers are showing the strongest growth,” Ed Kelly, CEO and Director of Nationwide said. “We are investing heavily in this new venture because we believe it has tremendous potential. For more than 30 years, Nationwide Marketing Group has been a strong partner with thousands of independent retailers, and we can apply much of what we have learned to RentDirect Nationwide for the benefit of our members.” “Several rent-to-own companies initially approached us, having seen the benefits Nationwide offers their retail neighbors. We are encouraged by the initial growth in membership and expect it to grow more rapidly, once dealers learn about the benefits of RentDirect Nationwide,” Kelly said. RentDirect Nationwide has members from coast to coast and is the most progressive rent-to-own purchasing/marketing group for independents throughout the United States. Nationwide has chosen a seasoned professional to head its new venture. He is James MacAlpine, who now serves as Executive Director of RentDirect Nationwide. A native of Killeen Texas, MacAlpine has spent most of his career in the industry, most recently as Chief Operating Officer of Rent 2 Own in the Houston area. Earlier, he was regional manager for Rent A Center in Texas, Louisiana, and New York. MacAlpine is Vice President and serves on the Executive Board of the Texas Association of Rental Agencies. He joined RentDirect Nationwide in August. MacAlpine said, “RentDirect Nationwide was developed to provide the growing market segment with a series of unique benefits and competitive advantages that were traditionally unavailable to RTO dealers.” “In addition to group-negotiated vendor programs and pricing, members of RentDirect Nationwide are able to take advantage of a variety of aggressive programs and events,” he said. “I was really impressed, too, when I learned about the Nationwide group’s print, radio and television promos that are customized to each member’s unique identity at RentDirect Nationwide’s own media production facility.” Another key benefit for RentDirect members is a unique warehousing system, WarehouseDirect Nationwide. This state of the art operations and distribution system allows members to keep offsite inventory on-hand and make it available for direct shipment within 2 or 3 business days. Like Nationwide Marketing Group, RentDirect Nationwide sponsors two large buying conventions each year so that members can meet with vendors, see new products, and benefit from a number of promotions. RentDirect Nationwide also offers training programs, seminars, and other benefits for its members. For more information, contact: Katie Kenney at 336.761.0711 or Katie@ralphsimpson.com