Furniture Manufacturer Expands To Serve Western U.S.

Aaron Rents Inc. has opened its eleventh manufacturing facility: a residential furniture plant and new office in Sugarland, Tex. The suburban Houston plant will help the firm's growth in the West, enabling faster delivery to its stores in Texas and other Western states including California, says chairman and CEO R. Charles Loudermilk Sr. Aaron Rents has nearly 100 stores in Texas alone. The company offers rental, rental purchase, and specialty retailing of residential and office furniture, consumer electronics, and home appliances. Its manufacturing division, MacTavish Furniture Industries, produces most of the furniture for Aaron Rents' stores. It also makes replacement covers of all styles and fabrics of its upholstered furniture, to recondition rental return furniture. The furniture is built with features to help it withstand frequent transportation. The Sugarland plant will be in full production by early December, according to Loudermilk. The plant will be about 150,000 sq ft, and the company plans to double the space within a year by adding a distribution center. Atlanta-based Aaron Rents Inc. has more than 530 company-operated and franchised store in 39 states and Puerto Rico. Systemwide, fiscal 1999 revenue was $547.3 million.