Rent-to-own News

Rent-to-own News - Buddy's hits 100 stores as company cruise sets sail

September 17, 2010

Joe Gazzo, Terry Beville, Amy Slatton and Jamie Slatton.

Buddy's Home Furnishings President Joe Gazzo Friday, opened the company's Bahamas cruise with an announcement the 50-year old RTO indie now claims signage on 100 stores.

Hitting the 100 mark came as a result of the recent conversion of Tampa-staple Rent Max's four locations to Buddy's Home Furnishings. Rent Max has stores in Tampa, Brandon, Spring Hill and Zephyrhills.

"This is big for us," Gazzo said. "100 stores in 50 years and we've done it the right way, with the right people. We've got a bunch of store openings slated for 2011 and it's only going to get better."

Around 350 Buddy's employees and vendor partners and representatives are currently en route to Nassau Bahamas. Hurricane Igor's presence trajectory has offset plans for Royal Caribbean's landing at Coco Cay Island. The hurricane was a symbolic twist on the company's once traditional cruise, Gazzo said.

"This hurricane out here is like the economy," Gazzo said. "It's the worst economy we've faced since the Great Depression. And yet, somehow Buddy's has thrived in it. Particularly well over the past three years when we've opened more than 30 stores during the worst of it."

The cruise ship, Monarch of the Seas, will spend an extra day at Nassau before heading back to Port Canaveral, Florida Monday.

Buddy's recognized outstanding stores, managers and company employees at a special reception Friday. Vendors will pow wow with company officials Saturday morning.

About APRO
The Association of Progressive Rental Organizations is the official voice of the rent-to-own industry and the most accurate and trustworthy source of rent-to-own news in the industry. Founded in 1980, APRO is the national, nonprofit trade association advocating and representing the rent-to-own industry before the U.S. Congress, state legislatures, courts, media and the public.

For more information, visit www.rtohq.org.

2012 APRO Convention and Trade Show

July 24-26, Memphis, TN

Attendee Information

Exhibitor Information

Thank you APRO 2012 Sponsors

Watch RTOHQ Rent to Own videos on YouTube!

Featured APRO Photo:
From the APRO 2007: Exhibit hall Album
Exhibit hall 01
View All RTO Photos
in the RTOHQ.org gallery

RTOHQ: The Magazine
RTOHQ: The Magazine is the Association of Progressive Rental Organizations' award-winning rent-to-own industry magazine, and it's available here.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR DIGITAL RTOHQ: THE MAGAZINE

RTOHQ: The Magazine’s upgraded digital format

APRO's new, mobile-ready magazine is now available in addition to our print edition. The digital format provides the same informative content as our printed magazine, but also offers tools to make the reading experience more enriching. Access the table of contents page with one click or tap. Get additional information from advertisers by clicking on the links in their ads. The interface is easy to navigate and requires no special app—read our magazine on your computer, digital table or smartphone. Click here to access the digital version of RTOHQ: The Magazine March-April 2012.

A New Rent-to-Own Experience

by Neil Ferguson

Here’s the lowdown on APRO’s 2012 Convention and Trade Show, July 24-26 in Memphis. The RTO industry’s big event will offer many valuable experiences, including insights on how to turn your stores into “experiences”–the good kind for consumers

Who Is Your Competition?

by Bill Keese

In order to expand your customer base, you can learn a lot by observing your competitors. But first, you need to figure out just who they are. If you think your only competition is the rent-to-own store down the street, you’re not considering the bigger picture. APRO’s executive director offers a big-picture perspective.

A Review of Online Customer Complaints

by Ed Winn III

While rent-to-own companies have not cornered the market on negative reviews posted on consumer complaint websites, it’s no surprise that there are cyberspace beefs against RTO. APRO’s general counsel reviews some of them in search of a pattern and he considers appropriate response to online complaints.

Rent-to-Own Families, Part VIII

by Kristen Card

Our series of family-run rent-to-own businesses continues with profiles of the Homeiers in Kansas and two Texas-based sets of kindred colleagues, the Spangles and the Weisblatts.

Future issues of APRO's magazine will be available in this same new format. Click here to access past issues that are not yet archived in the new interface.

Association of Progressive Rental Organizations
1504 Robin Hood Trail
Austin, Texas 78703
800/204-2776, ext. 103
Fax 512/794-0097