HOMESMART Continues Growth Spurt With Acquisition of Southern Home Rentals; Marco Scalise Named VP of Operations

ATLANTA, Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- HOMESMART, a retailer specializing in affordable and flexible rental purchase options for furniture, appliances, and electronics, announced today the acquisition of eight Southern Home Rentals stores in Georgia and Alabama. The stores will be converted to the HOMESMART model in the coming months and will bring the total store count to 68.

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HOMESMART also announced the addition of Marco Scalise as vice president of operations. Scalise, who brings more than 20 years of leadership experience, joins HOMESMART from Aaron's where he served as vice president of customer account management. He joined Aaron's in 2000 and has been a top producer earning multiple awards such as "District of the Year" and "Regional of the Year" in 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2006. Scalise also has experience in franchising as former franchise owner/vice president of the New England and Southeast stores of Colortyme.

"We are pleased to announce the addition of Marco to the HOMESMART team," said Ken Butler, Aaron's chief operating officer. "HOMESMART has already achieved rapid growth in just the first year, and our plans for 2012 include a continuation of this success. With Marco's deep experience in franchising and operations, I am confident he will help take HOMESMART to an even higher level of performance and profitability."

HOMESMART is a new concept launched late in 2010 that has experienced robust growth. For cash or credit-constrained consumers, HOMESMART offers customers weekly or monthly payment lease agreements for products including computers, televisions, refrigerators, and sofas.

The acquisition of Southern Home Rentals will mark HOMESMART'S first entry into the Alabama market. HOMESMART stores can currently be found in 10 states: South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico.

About HOMESMART
HOMESMART is a specialty retailer offering affordable and flexible lease purchase options for furniture, appliances, computers and electronics. HOMESMART is headquartered in Atlanta and operates 68 stores in 10 states. For more information, visit www.shophomesmart.com.

SOURCE HOMESMART