Consumer Confidence Climbs in January
“Consumer confidence is now at its highest level since July 2002"...more

Rent Way Files Lawsuit; Seeks Identity Of Internet Message Board Poster
Ron DeMoss, Rent Way VP and General Counsel told RTO Online "The objective of this suit is to learn who is posting these malicious lies." The "malicious lies" he refers to are various postings over an extended period alleging the involvement of Rent Way CEO Bill Morgenstern in the accounting scandal that has plagued Rent Way for over two years...more

Las Vegas Furniture Market Update
World Market Center will debut to the industry for a Summer Market in 2005! At an Advisory Board meeting held in Las Vegas in December, the Board approved new dates...more

Furniture Brands Intl. To Close Two Plants
Most of the 350 jobs to be eliminated...more

United Kingdom
Brighthouse Rent to Own Expanding
BrightHouse opened it's first store Chelmsley Wood, Birmingham in April 1994 with the vision: 'Everyone should be given the opportunity to improve their home and lifestyle.' The company has since grown to over 100 locations...more

Survey: Men 18 - 64 Choose A Great TV Over Watching Super Bowl "In the company of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders"
"You really begin to understand the investment families make in their home theater when guys are saying they would rather watch the game on a great television than with the Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders."
Lee Simonson, business team leader for Picture, Source and Sound at Best Buy...more

Canada
Dorel Furniture To Close Ontario Factory; 300 Employees Affected
"A number of factors have placed the future viability of the plant in serious doubt."
Bob Klassen, head of Dorel Ready-to-Assemble furniture division....more

Maytag Features "Neptune" At International Builders' Show
Top-loading washing machine is agitator-free...more

Rent-Way Schedules Q1 Conference Call
Company executives will discuss results for the quarter ended December 31st, 2003...more

The Rent to Own Industry Event Calendar
Every month there are hundreds of events that directly impact your business. RTO Online today launched The Rent to Own Industry Event Calendar to improve the communications of, and participation in, Rent to Own industry events...more

2003 Year End Rent to Own Industry Poll Results
During the Month of December, RTO Online conducted an Annual Rent to Own Industry Poll consisting of 35 questions. Our goal of 200 unique respondents was met on December 29th.

Our Favorite Data Nugget

New Study Finds Black Women Are Major Earners, Family Decision-Makers Among African American Population
"African-American women tend to be undervalued as consumers by manufacturers and service providers...more
Don Montuori, Acquisitions Editor for Packaged Facts

Consumers Using Debit Cards Increases To 57%
"Study of Consumer Payment Preferences" found that between 1999 and 2003, the number of consumers using debit cards to make in-store purchases increased from 48 percent to 57 percent...more

WITHIT Gears Up for Strong 2004 with Focus on Industry Education
"We are clearly poised to make a significant difference in the educational, mentoring and networking opportunities of our members...more
Jackie Hirschhaut, President of Women in the Home Industries Today

The Meaning Of The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
"The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate as well the timeless values he taught us through his example -- the values of courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership...more

National Association For Female Executives; "Lack Of Training Keeps Women From Top Jobs"
"Most companies have not dispelled myths about women's commitment, about their risk quotient, willingness to relocate, and ability to manage men...more

Strong Consumer Demand for High-Definition Television Fuels Thomson HDTV Expansion Plans
"Our current line of two models will expand fourfold in 2004 to eight models...more

Do You Respect Your Online Rent to Own Customers?
We compared contact methods and privacy policies for 10 popular rent to own company websites (Cort, a commercial furniture rental company, was included for comparison...more

Mexico's Largest Specialty Retailer Launches Rent to Own PC's; 1,250 Pesos ($12.50 USD) Per week
Groupo Elektra, Mexico's leading specialty retailer, has become the first retailer in Mexico's history to sell desktop Linux on retail shelves...more

Pennsylvania
Governor Rendell Seeks Nominations for Pennsylvania's Best 50 Women in Business
"Women business leaders and business owners are creating jobs that help drive economic growth in Pennsylvania," said Secretary Yablonsky. "This award program allows the community to acknowledge these women for their contributions to the Commonwealth...more

Canadian Fund Manager Likes Easyhome (formerly RTO Enterprises)
"Easyhome's stores are generating revenue growth in the region of 7% per annum and "the company is likely to expand its operations across Canada." The profit margins in this business are "attractive and improving...more

"Experiential Marketing" Twice As Effective As Advertising
Among all women, 43% rated experiential marketing the medium most likely to cause them to purchase a product or service quickly, compared to advertising (20%) and direct mail (37%)...more

Dorel Furniture CEO Optimistic About 2004
"We launched several new juvenile products during the second half last year and we are confident this will drive new sales in 2004...more
Martin Schwartz, Dorel President and CEO

UK Launches Furniture Industry Forum
"The UK furniture industry employs 139,000 people in 7,500 businesses; the combined turnover of which is around £10 billion annually...more
Nigel Griffiths, UK Minister for Consumer Goods

RTO/ARTS Approved As TRIB Group Vendor
"We are extremely excited to be chosen to offer our high quality original paintings and lithographs to the 1,650 stores owned by TRIB members", says Fritz Rollins...more

IDEAL Software Sets Rent to Own User Conference Dates
IDEAL Software Systems, makers The Ideal Rental Manager, a leading point of sale rent to own software package, will hold its annual users conference April 27-29, 2004...more

La-Z-Boy's CEO Presentation to be Webcast
Kurt Darrow, president and CEO, and Mark Stegeman, VP and treasurer, will speak at "America at Home 2004" conference on Wednesday, January 14...more

CEO Confidence Dips In Q4
Chief executives’ confidence in the nation’s economy, which surged in the third quarter, declined in the fourth quarter of 2003...more

Workbrain Chosen As a 2003 Winner of Canada's Best 50 Managed Companies
"Workbrain Corporation clearly demonstrates innovation, leadership and a focus on its employees and customers," said James McSherry, Executive Vice President and Managing Director of CIBC Commercial Banking...more

Philips CEO "Digital Revolution Failing To Deliver"
"Somewhere along the way, the promise of the digital revolution to make our lives easier, simpler, better is not being delivered. In fact, in many respects, it’s only made life more complicated"...more
Gerard Kleisterlee, President & CEO Royal Philips

Photos From 2004 Consumer Electronics Show
Consumer technology leaders, including many board members of the Consumer Electronics Association, attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony before the opening of the 2004 International CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology event...more

Bassett Reports 2003 Net Loss; Expects Improvement In 2004
"December order and shipment levels have been soft and business conditions for our Company and our industry remain challenging. We are cautiously optimistic as we enter the new year"...more
Robert H. Spilman Jr., President and CEO

110,000 Expected At Consumer Electronic Show
The International CES opened to a standing room only crowd as CEA President and CEO Gary Shapiro delivered his annual State of the Industry Keynote Address...more

Corporate Contributions To Worthy Causes Remain Strong; Increase Expected for Next Year
Despite the sluggish economic recovery in the United States and war clouds in the Middle East, total U.S. contributions to worthy causes have remained strong...more

Flash
Furniture Retailers Of America: "Antidumping Petition on Chinese Bedroom Furniture Hurts Consumers and Retailers"
"U.S. retailer jobs may be lost and U.S. consumers will face major disruptions -- with price, choices and quality in the short term...more
Mike Veitenheimer, FRA Spokesperson

Sharp Increases LCD TV Capacity To Meet Demand
Demand for large-screen LCD TVs has been growing with a momentum exceeding initial expectations, leading to a tight supply situation for LCD panels for TVs...more

Pixa Introduces First Wireless Rewritable DVD Home Theater System
Pixa, Inc., has introduced the first wireless rewritable DVD home theater system, giving consumers a complete home theater in a box (HTiB) with an integrated rear 2.4G wireless speaker...more

Michigan To Re-Organize Rent to Own Association
Association President James Patterson, owner of Continental Rent to Own, and Sidney Burton, owner of Hometown Rent To Own, are working with Ohio neighbor Amy Zeller-Fankhauser of City Rentals to re-energize the Michigan RTO community...more

Video Game Enthusiasts Drool Over Gamepod
Gamepod integrates high quality audio and tactile sound and embeds the technology in a high-style, comfortable, upholstered chair that changes the video game and movie-watching experience...more

Canada
Toronto Developer Offers $185K Rent to Own Luxury Condos
Two-bedroom suites start at $274,900 and rent for $1,829/month, with $6,000 accumulated towards the down payment after one year...more

"Standard TV Is A Disservice To Consumers"
"Any manufacturer still living in a world of standard or even the enhanced definition TV has blinders on about the future of digital technology"...more
Russ Johnston, senior vice president of marketing for home entertainment at Pioneer Electronics

Thomson Brings Ultra-Thin HDTV to Market
With penetration of HDTV products doubling in the U.S. market in 2003 and sales expected to exceed five million units this year, Thomson is aggressively introducing a new line of HDTV solutions aimed at all types of consumers -- those who want the latest flat and thin technology...more

Study Highlights Consumer Electronics Customer Base;Women, minorities, seniors, and teens emerging as driving force
Seventeen (17) percent of senior households (age 55 and up) own a high-definition television (HDTV). Twenty-three (23) percent of African-American men own a laptop computer, compared to 21 percent of all consumers...more

Digital Flat Panel Introduced With Live Pause; Allows viewers to pause TV programming
Common to DVRs, Live Pause enables viewers to pause, rewind and instant replay live television broadcasts just as they would a DVD...more

Who's Who In Rent to Own
Ever wanted to know if that old friend you worked with in the 80's is still in Rent to Own? Need to find a phone number or mailing address for a store in Idaho? These formerly difficult tasks and more are possible with RTO Online's latest service aptly named "Who's Who In Rent to Own."...more

Rent-A-Center Conference Call Scheduled
Rent a Center's Q4 Earnings Conference call will be held Tuesday, Feb 10, 2004 at 10:45 am Eastern. Company executives will discuss the results for the December quarter. A statement is also likely concerning recent developments...more

Dell Most Popular Choice For Home Networks
Sales data collected through NPD's point of sale panel shows consumers increasing choice of wireless networks as their preferred installation...more

Five Major Consumer Electronics Trends for 2004
Digital technology has brought dizzying changes in products, greater profits for some manufacturers and greater challenges for other manufacturers in recent years. TWICE says to watch closely for major changes with familiar suppliers...more

Rent a Center Chief Information Officer Sees Security As Focus In 2004
Roscoe Wasko, CIO of Rent-a-Center Inc., is wishing for a big data warehouse, along with the DBAs to get it up and running, and a sleigh full of new thin client devices to help salespeople do their jobs better...more

Apple, Sony Execs Among 2004 Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame Inductees
A panel of 17 prominent industry professionals and media members selected the 2004 class based on integrity, character and impact on the CE industry. The 2004 inductees are...more

New Game Console Launched At CES; System Runs Windows XP and Allows PC Games To Be Played On TV
Apex Digital and Alienware DISCover consoles play thousands of unmodified PC games on a television or home entertainment system...more

TERK Introduces HDTV Antenna For Local HDTV Reception
The high-performance HDTVi is the only indoor antenna designed to receive both UHF and VHF signals (channels 2 - 69), to provide reception of all local HDTV broadcasts...more

Music Superstars and Sports Legends to Appear at 2004 International CES
Complete list, schedule, photos, and links to entertainers websites...more

Klegg’s Tiny Egg Speakers Create Big Noise In North American Market
“The North American market is crying for a small home theatre system that offers a sound quality as good as or better than standard-sized high-end competitors,” ...more

RTO Online Launches Online Database Of Rent to Own Industry Vendors
The updated version of MarketPlace is an online, user-updateable, searchable database of distributors, manufacturers, and service providers that specialize in meeting the unique needs of Rent to Own companies...more

Police Track Rent a Center Burglar By Following Footprints In Snow
On Tuesday December 30th, a man identified by police as Taylor Lawrence Croswell, 18, of Bend Oregon burglarized a local Rent a Center by smashing in the front door and fleeing on foot...through the snow...more

Consumer Confidence Index Dips in December
Job worries continue. Consumers’ lackluster assessment of current conditions reflects continuing anxiety about labor market conditions...more

1Survey Indicates Americans Will Use Technology to Help Fulfill Their 2004 New Year's Resolutions
When asked which technologies would help them fulfill their 2004 resolutions, Americans' top responses were: Computers 22%, Cell phones 11%, High-speed Internet connection 11%, Financial planning software 11%...more

FCC Chairman Powell To Discuss Transition To Digital TV January 9th
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell will address top public policy issues facing the consumer technology industry during a "One-on-One" discussion with Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) President and CEO Gary Shapiro...more

Daewoo Shows Extensive Lineup at CES
Daewoo plans to become a major force in the digital TV market by 2007...more

Letter to the Editor
Rent to Own Industry Male Dominated For Too Long
Most companies seem to hire women for the appearance of a balanced workforce, only to push them beyond their limits until they break. I don't see my male counter parts being pushed and ridiculed in the same way. I see them going to Hooters with the district managers...more

V=RQRe2
Value = Rate x Quality x Relationship2
Most people don't know it, but before Albert Einstein became a Swiss patent clerk in 1902, he worked as an account manager for his father at Hermann's Rent to Own...more

'Twas The Night Before Christmas...
'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the store, one account was past due, just one BOR...more

Westinghouse Digital Lowers Prices On LCD
"LCD TVs presently are priced between three to five times more than comparably-sized CRT sets. Thus, pricing for LCD TVs must decline considerably to spur mass adoption"...more
Riddhi Patel
Senior analyst for the market research firm iSuppli/Stanford Resources

2003, The Rent to Own Industry's Year In Review
2003 was a year of ups, downs, and near misses for the Rent to Own industry. We witnessed the passing of industry icons Ernie Talley and Les Feldser, the gritty determination of Rent Way, the emergence of Rent Rite as a national player, the unbridled expansion of Aaron Rents, and a frenzy of acquisitions reminiscent of decades past that threatens to put 'Mom and Pop' on the endangered species list. 2003 also saw renewed attacks...more