ST. LOUIS, Nov. 15, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- Aaron Rents, Inc. (NYSE:RNT), the nation's 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 the first of several furniture donations made in conjunction with Homes for the Holidays, a charitable program founded by NFL player Warrick Dunn that provides deserving single mothers with a completely furnished home.
At today's event, St. Louis Wide Receiver Torry Holt stunned the hard-working mother of four by having her home completely furnished, accessorized and stocked with everything her family needs, just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday.
According to President Ken Butler, "Aaron's is so thrilled to partner with generous NFL players like Torry Holt who go out of their way to give back to their communities. Aaron's is proud to be a major sponsor of the Homes for the Holidays charitable program. Like our slogan says, we are ready to make even more 'Dreams Come True' this holiday season."
The family who received today's donation of furniture had just taken possession on their four-bedroom home through Habitat for Humanity St. Louis, after completing 450 hours of sweat equity with that charitable program. However, the deserving family had no idea they were selected to receive brand-new furnishings, appliances and electronics through Homes for the Holidays.
Homes for the Holidays looks for deserving single mothers across the country and then helps them acquire a home and furnish it with everything their family needs, right down to a fully-stocked pantry. Since NFL player Warrick Dunn founded the charity in 1998, more than 50 families have been recipients of this program. Recently, The Sporting News designated Warrick Dunn as its 2005 Good Guy in pro sports, mainly for his charitable work helping single mothers acquire and outfit homes for their families.
Aaron's has been involved with the program since 2002, and has filled all the furniture, appliance and electronic needs of Homes for the Holidays since that time. Today's donation included providing the family with a living room suite, entertainment center, complete dining room, four bedroom suites including mattresses and bedding, lamps, tables, a washer and dryer, and all the electronics the family needed to fill their new home.
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.
Aaron Rents, Inc. (NYSE:RNT) is a leader in the sale and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances, now with over 1,150 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.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this news release regarding Aaron Rents, Inc.'s business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include factors such as changes in general economic conditions, competition, pricing, customer demand and other issues, and the risks and uncertainties discussed under "Certain Factors Affecting Forward Looking Statements" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for fiscal 2004, which discussion is incorporated herein by this reference.
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CONTACT: Aaron's Sales & Lease Ownership
Mark A. Rudnick, Vice President, Marketing
(678) 402-3470
www.shopaarons.com
Sybil Elie, ACORP Project Coordinator
(678) 402-3265