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Rental Purchase Agreement Act Gains 10 Cosponsors
The total House cosponsor count stands at 19. The total Senate cosponsor count stands at 14...more

For The First Time In History, Debit Cards More Popular Than Credit Cards
Debit cards exceeded all other payment devices as the overall preferred payment product - Twenty-nine percent of respondents prefer debit cards versus 26 percent for credit cards...more

Despite Threat of Talent Shortages, Few Employers Work To Retain Older Workers
"It appears that most employers are ignoring the demographic forecasts and evidence of growing talent shortages, and instead, still waiting to see it in their headlights before they begin to think differently about the older workforce." - Jeffrey A. Joerres, Chairman and CEO. Manpower...more

Replacement units Drive Mobile Phone Shipments Up 10.0%
Mobile phone shipments increasingly move from being new handsets for first-time users to replacement handsets for seasoned users, and overall growth will continue, but at a slower rate...more

Provincial Association Cautions Canadian Government Against Payday Loan Rate Cap; Calls For Independent Study
"The payday loan industry in British Columbia is highly competitive and there is a high demand for short term loans. There are multiple providers who service a wide range of clientele. Rate caps that are too restrictive will damage competition and restrict choice for consumers" - Kevin Isfeld, Spokesman, BCPLA...more

Artistic Resource Team Corrects Recent Ad
Artistic Resource Team will be launching our new website soon before the upcoming TRIB show. The new website is designed to cater to the RTO industry by allowing members to place their orders online...more

Missouri Rental Dealers To Celebrate 20th Anniversary At Heartland Of America RTO Tradeshow
The Heartland Show offers attendees an opening-day choice between the group's annual golf tournament or Bass tournament...more

HD DVD First to Reach 100K Players Sold in the U.S.
"Retailers are showing a significant increase in sales volume this month so far." - Jodi Sally, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America...more

Payday Loan Legislation Introduced In British Columbia
The CPLA continues to infer that non-members are unconcerned with consumer protection...more
 

85,000 Attend Spring High Point Furniture Market
"We all know that the complexion of the industry is changing, and we all feel the loss when traditional furniture retailers close their doors. However, we’re also seeing the emergence of new distribution channels for home furnishings, and the results were clearly in evidence at this Market." - Brian D. Casey, President and CEO, High Point Market Authority...more

Stanley Furniture First Quarter Sales Down 10%
"While we are disappointed with lower sales and earnings, we believe this is consistent with current industry-wide conditions." - Jeffrey R. Scheffer, President and CEO, Stanley Furniture...more

European HDTV Ownership Will Reach 70 Percent By 2012
"The trend toward high definition TV and video is being driven by surging demand for LCD and plasma TVs, the vast majority of which are capable of displaying HD." - Peter King, Director, Connected Home Devices...more

Small Businesses Generate 50 Percent Of US GDP
"This study confirms just how important small business is to our economic growth and prosperity. It makes clear that economic policy needs to take into account the needs of small businesses, because those businesses drive our economy." - Dr. Chad Moutray, Chief Economist, Office of Advocacy...more
 

easyhome Launches New Staging, Events and Props Division for Furniture and Accessory Rentals
A distribution centre has been established in the greater Toronto area, specifically designed to support this initiative with dedicated inventory and staff...more

Artistic Resources To Attend TRIB Fiesta
To show our strong commitment to the RTO industry, Artistic Resource Team is devoting a lot of resources to improving product selection, prices and service.
Joseph G. Rizk, President, Artistic Resource Team...more

PCRental Agent Software Joins TRIB
As a new member of TRIB, PCRental Agent is offering its services free for 90 days to all TRIB members after they pay for a $24.95 setup fee...more

Mizati to Open Wheel And Tire Rental Chain
"We started our research and planning on this relatively a year ago when we observed that a portion of the customers borrowed into credit card or other form of financing." - Grace Wang, Mizati spokeswoman...more
 

Aaron's Sales and Lease Ownership Wraps Conference; Emmitt Smith Keynotes
The manager of the store is the key to success in this business. Without you, this success would never ever have happened. My hat is off to every single one of you." - Robin Loudermilk, Chief Operating Officer, Aaron Rents...more

Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act; HR 1767
Below is the complete text of the Consumer Rental Purchase Agreement Act of 2007...more

Consumer Electronics Take Hit In February; Plasma Price Decline Outpaces Increased Shipments
Plasma TV dollar volume dropped 16 percent in February compared to February 2006, the first ever year-over-year decline...more

La-Z-Boy Treasurer Resigns
La-Z-Boy Corporate Vice President and Treasurer Mark Stegeman has resigned...more

Survey; Keeping Employees More Important Than Profit
Twenty-three percent of the companies said attracting and keeping people was their most important business concern, while 29 percent said maximizing revenues was more important...more

Home Theater Seminars at Home Entertainment 2007
The seminars at Home Entertainment 2007 have been designed to give an overview of some of the latest audio and video technology...more
 

RentDirect Nationwide Announces New Dates for Member2Member Summit 2007
"By integrating our Member2Member Summit into our semi-annual PrimeTime! convention, we’re able to offer dealers more value for their time and save them an extra trip." - Robert Weisner, executive vice president of Nationwide Marketing Group, parent company of RentDirect...more

Convention Coverage - Photo Galleries - Podcasts
Cole Flynn, Kevin Wood Named Aaron's Managers of the Year
Aaron's Sales and Lease Ownership awards Store of the Year in both the Franchise and Company systems. Farmington, New Mexico General Manager Kevin Wood was awarded Aaron's 2006 Store of the Year for the franchise system. Cole Flynn, GM of the Fort Meyers, Florida Aaron's, took top honors for company owned stores. The pair were presented with 2007 Hummer H3s at Wednesday's Denim and Diamonds Awards banquet at the Gaylord Texan Resort in Grapevine, Texas...more

Convention Coverage - Photo Galleries - Podcasts
Aaron Rents Kicks Off 2007 Managers Meeting With Jamfest; RTO Online Broadcasts Four Podcast Interviews
RTO Online conducted several audio podcasts Tuesday with Aaron’s associates including Mark Rudnick, Vice President of Marketing and Charles Smithgall, Chairman and CEO of SEI/Aaron’s, the company’s largest franchisee with 55 locations and an expansion plan to open stores in another 28 markets...more

Texas Rent to Own Property Tax Amendment Passes House 143-0
Insiders are confident that the Senate will follow the House lead during this session...more
 

Aaron Rents Founder Charles Loudermilk Honored For Community Leadership
The award ceremony will be broadcast on Saturday, April 14th at 7:30 pm...more

Arkansas Rental Dealers Kick Off Two Day Tradeshow
The 2007 Arkansas Rental Dealers Association (ARDA) Spring Convention and Trade Show begins today (Tuesday) in Little Rock, Arkansas...more

Nationwide Marketing Group Recognized By EPA
"We're proud to be recognized by the EPA and DOE as an Excellence in ENERGY STAR Promotion Award winner." - Ed Kelly, President, Nationwide Marketing Group...more

RTO Online Podcast Library Update
RTO Online has conducted over 75 exclusive high quality audio podcast interviews in the past 12 months. From store managers to company executives, RTO Online Podcasts offer a unique insight into the operations of the rent-to-own industry...more

Rent-A-Center To Webcast 1st Quarter 2007 Conference Call
Rent-A-Center, Inc., headquartered in Plano, Texas, currently operates more than 3,300 company-owned stores nationwide, Puerto Rico and Canada...more

As OEM Wheels Get Larger, Custom Wheel Dealers Increase Size Offerings
But as vehicle manufacturers such as Toyota, Honda, and Chrysler have begun offering standard wheels in sizes 16-18 inches, the custom wheel market has been forced to raise the bar...more

Registration Open For July Las Vegas Furniture Market; Expanded Hotel Lineup Announced
Special discounted rates are available online through Las Vegas Market’s host hotel program, allowing attendees the option to choose from economy lodging, boutique properties and luxurious accommodations...more

GPS Device Shipments Triple; GPS Purchases to Generate $4.1 Billion in Sales in 2007
While GPS ownership is still relatively small at 18 percent of online consumers, CEA market research demonstrates growing consumer interest, with shipment revenues nearly tripling between 2005 and 2006...more

Apple Makes History; Over 100 Million iPods Sold
"At this historic milestone, we want to thank music lovers everywhere for making iPod such an incredible success." - Steve Jobs, CEO, Apple...more

Toshiba Files Suit To Stop 17 Companies From Importing DVD Technology
Toshiba's filing requests that the ITC prohibit all 17 companies from importing into the United States of DVD players, DVD recorders and other DVD-related products...more

Tom Malone Named President of Audiovox
Malone currently sits on the board of the Mobile Electronics Division of the Consumer Electronics Association...more

American CEOs Give Mixed Predictions For Economy
"The good news, therefore, is that business leaders do not expect conditions to worsen. But by the same token, they do not expect conditions to improve." - Lynn Franco, Director, The Conference Board Consumer Research Center...more

Exhibitors, Dealers Prepare For Home Entertainment Show 2007
The 2-1/2 day show will focus on high-end home audio and home-theater products and free educational seminars by industry experts...more

Las Vegas Design Center Announces May & June First Friday Seminars
Lloyd Princeton owns the New York and California-based Design Management Company and works closely with interior designers and architects. He guides business owners to greater profitability and satisfaction through marketing, pricing, and staffing solutions...more
 

Politics On the Web; Younger Audiences Prefer Barack Obama, The Money Prefers Hillary
Both campaign sites attract visitors from higher-income households, but the wealthiest households – those with at least $100,000 in annual income – were 57 percent more likely than average to visit HillaryClinton.com...more

Consumers Report High HDTV Satisfaction Rates; LCD Owners More Likely To Download High Def Content From Use Internet
"An increasing number of HDTV owners are connecting PCs in order to watch Internet videos and to view digital photos. This is particularly true of LCD TV owners." - Joe Bates, Director of Research, CEA...more

HP Unveils Gaming Push; Demonstrates Seamless Curved Display
PC gamers in the United States alone spent more than $20 billion on gaming software and hardware in 2005 - a figure that rivals movie industry revenues...more

Electro Rent Rental And Lease Revenues Climb 12%
"Our rental and lease revenue continued their solid growth last quarter, and we see favorable conditions for continued growth in our core markets in the United States and our operations in China and Europe." - Daniel Greenberg, Chairman and CEO, Electro Rent...more

Association Survey; Members Still Struggle To Find Small Business Funding; NASE Backs Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Act of 2007
"The recently introduced Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs Act of 2007 works to make financing less of a headache for micro-businesses and we hope to see it progress." - Kristie Darien, Executive Director, Legislative Office, NASE...more

Sealy Net Sales Up Despite Lower Per Unit Prices; International Sales Improved 18.1%
"As we anticipated and communicated over the past few quarters, the momentum in domestic volume that has been building continued during the first quarter as unit growth turned positive, due primarily to strength in our promotional and specialty product lines." - David J. McIlquham, Chairman and CEO, Sealy...more

Over 2,000 Expected At Next Week's Aaron's Managers Meeting
This is a chance for the entire team to get together and recognize the accomplishments of 2006 and look ahead to 2007 and beyond." - Mark Rudnick, Vice President of Marketing, Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership Division...more

Decorize Partners With Klaussner Furniture To Develop Accents Line
The line will consist of 350 SKUs including top of bed collections, rugs, lamps, wall decor, tabletop accessories and permanent botanicals...more

Rent to Own Industry Vet Joe Marchini Joins RTO Online
"Joe's expertise in strategic planning and direct experience in the rental-purchase industry will allow RTO Online to offer an entirely new level of service to our advertising clients." - Roy Griffaw, President, RTO Online Inc...more

Report; Senior Executives In the Dark When It Comes To Non-financial Measures
"The survey reveals a critical disconnect between rhetoric and reality in the boardrooms and management circles of some of the world’s leading companies." - William G. Parrett, CEO, Deloitte...more
 

LEDs Can Brighten Up Your Dull Signage
In addition to signage, LEDs can reduce repair costs and extend the life of rental merchandise from refrigerators to lamps...more
 

U.S. Economy Expected to Slow in 2007; Stronger Gains Likely in Second Half of Year and 2008
"Robust consumer spending, driven by strong employment gains, higher wages and growing overall net wealth, helped propel the U.S. economy last year. Consumers are likely to pull back a bit in early 2007, but firm fundamentals will help support economic gains in the second half of 2007 and in 2008." - Craig Wright, VP and Chief Economist, RBC...more

The 50 Best Tech Products of All Time; Salute to the All Time Best Products of the Digital Age
Apple leads the pack with seven products making the list, two of them in the top 10...more

Linder's Named Western Home Furnishings Association Retailer of the Year
Linder's, the largest independently owned furniture retailer in California, operates under three brands - Linder’s Furniture, Legacy Home Furnishings and Rooms Express. Total revenue is expected to exceed $80 million in 2007...more

Rent-N-Roll, Aaron's Ranked Among Top US Franchises
Rent-N-Roll began opening franchises in 2003. There are currently 6 company owned stores and 50 franchised locations with 5 locations under construction. The company hopes to reach 70 locations by the end of 2007...more

Bassett Reports Continued Softness At Retail
"This was an extremely difficult quarter for the Company both in terms of our business levels and the announcement made earlier this month related to the closing of our facility in Bassett." - Robert H. Spilman Jr., President and CEO, Bassett...more

Industry Veteran Bud Holladay to Present at RentDirect’s Member2Member Summit
With over 30 years of store ownership and multi-unit operations experience in the rental industry, Bud Holladay offers an insider’s perspective on what it takes to be successful and stay competitive...more

New Maytag Repairman After Nationwide Search
The character first appeared on American TV screens in 1967. Clay Jackson is the fourth person to portray the brand icon during its 40-year existence...more

RTO Online Serves Record 375,000 Unique Visitor Sessions In March; Third Consecutive Record Month
RTOonline.com registered over 375,000 unique visitor sessions and 4.2 million page views in March, eclipsing the previous record for unique sessions and page views by 12%...more

Democrats Fear Some Consumers Will Be Left Behind In Digital TV Transition
The rent to own (RTO) industry was an early adopter of digital TV. Since rental-purchase agreements specify that the rent to own company is responsible for service, consumers are also protected by the very nature of the agreement...more

Kelly Sayre Recognized For 25 Years Of Service To Rent to Own Industry
Sayre is one of the RTO industry's most seasoned players. He opened Big Value Rentals in 1982 and, after a quarter century, remains excited about the future...more

Bryce Jewelry Appoints Rental Industry Veteran Bud Holladay as Director of New Business Development; Newly-Created Position is Part of Bryce Aggressive Expansion Program
Holladay brings to Bryce Co. more than 30 years of store ownership and multi-unit operations experience in the rental industry, most notably with companies such as ABC Rentals, Alrenco, and Rent-A-Center...more

Vehicle Appearance Accessories Sales Show Growth Potential For Rent to Own Wheel and Tire
The three largest full-line rent to own and lease-purchase franchisors in North America, ColorTyme, Aaron Rents (Rimco), and Premier Rental Purchase have custom wheel divisions...more

House Financial Services Committee Passes Shareholders Vote on Executive Compensation Act
"Excessive executive pay has been proven to have a significant impact on company's profits and shareholder returns." - Barney Frank, Financial Services Committee Chairman...more
 

Train To Grow; Majority Of Employees Prefer Self-Directed Training
"There is widespread belief that having a corporate learning culture is one of the best ways an organization can grow and thrive." - Kevin Young, Managing Director of SkillSoft...more

Association Supports Federal Trade Commission's Charges Against Mystery Shopping Service
The Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) said it supports the Federal Trade Commission’s recent action against Mystery Shop Link and the Tangent Group. Many rent-to-own companies use a mystery shopping services to audit store performance...more

Institute for Corporate Productivity Says 'HR Nightmare' Episodes of "The Office" Aren't That Far-Fetched; Research backs up many of the fictitious situations in hit comedy
"Although the situations on the show are obviously extreme, The Office does a great job of highlighting things that can and often do go wrong in the course of a typical workday. The characters and plot lines are parodies of worst-case scenarios, but still, viewers may feel they have more than a grain of truth to them." - Jay Jamrog, Senior Vice President of Research, Institute for Corporate Productivity...more
 

PC Rental Agent Offers RTO Companies Special Program
“Originally, we developed the software envisioning using the Agent to lockdown and recover skips. But when we started locking down accounts past due we made ourselves a believer," Tim Kelly, DesignerWare...more
 

Consumer Confidence Eroding
"Apprehension about the short-term future has suddenly cast a cloud over consumers' confidence." - Lynn Franco, Director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center...more

Consumer Demand For High Def Drives Microsoft To Introduce Xbox 360 Elite
"Today’s games and entertainment enthusiast has an insatiable appetite for digital high-definition content." - Peter Moore, Vce President, Interactive Entertainment Business, Microsoft...more

Rent to Own Entrepreneur Gloria Homeier-Schwien Receives 2007 Kansas Small Business Award
"Her excellent character and exhausting work ethic make her a perfect nominee for this award. She has a keen sense for her business as well as the industry as a whole." - Marlon E. King, Vice President, Intrust Bank of Wichita...more

Bryce Company Jewelry Expands Rent to Own Industry Presence; Appoints Vet Cary McPherson National Sales Director for RTO
"I'm thrilled to be in a position to improve the profits of RTO companies by introducing Bryce Company's live jewelry program and buyback guarantee to the entire industry." - Cary McPherson, National Sales Director for RTO, Bryce Company...more

More States Consider Small Business Regulatory Flexibility
Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Virginia and Wisconsin have taken steps to ensure that their small businesses are not subjected to a "one-size-fits-all" approach to compliance with complex state regulations, and require any new regulations to be reviewed before being implemented...more

FCC Declines To Set Mandatory Conversion Date For Digital Radio
Since the Commission first authorized Digital Audio Broadcasting (“DAB”) on an interim basis, over 1200 stations have notified the Commission that they have commenced or intend to commence hybrid digital broadcasting...more

Changes in Consumer Behavior Will Fuel 11% Increase In Electronics Accessory Shipments In 2007
“With the right mix of accessories, customers are more satisfied with their purchase and are less likely to return products.” - Tim Herbert, senior director of market research, Consumer Electronics Association...more

Panasonic Plasma Wins Home Theater Magazine RAVE Award; PS3 is Product of the Year
"The competition gets tougher each year for the Home Theater team whose responsibility it is to nominate components which they personally feel sets a new standard of reference." - Maureen Jenson, Editor, Home Theater Magazine...more