Release Details

Online Shopping Convenience Reaches New and Return Customers

PLANO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 6, 2016-- Rent-A-Center, Inc. (NASDAQ/NGS:RCII), the nation’s largest rent-to-own operator, announced that their nationwide rollout of an end-to-end eCommerce solution is substantially complete. Customers now have the ability to fully transact with Rent-A-Center online from the convenience of their desktop, laptop, or mobile device.

“eCommerce is attracting customers who appreciate the new option to shop and complete sales transactions online and then have products delivered to their homes,” says Robert Davis, CEO. “In fact, more than 70 percent of our online customers are shoppers who are either new to Rent-A-Center or who have not done business with us in over one year.”

Rent-A-Center currently offers more than 73 products available to rent online, primarily consumer electronics.

“So far, we’ve seen demand for the latest Sony and Microsoft gaming systems, Sony, LG and VIZIO TVs, Samsung smartphones, as well as laptops from ASUS and Toshiba,” says Angela Yochem, CIO and Senior Vice President – Information Technology. “Enabling digital business is key to our strategy as we continue to expand our product offerings and enhance our customer interactions. Since our customers engage with us across all channels, this type of innovation expands our ability to serve our customers, deepen those relationships, and to reach new customers in the ever-evolving market.”

Included as part of Rent-A-Center’s eCommerce solution, shoppers browsing rentacenter.com’s website now also have the option to complete an online form and obtain preapproval to rent from within one of Rent-A-Center’s approximately 2,600 store locations.

“Once approved, customers coming into our stores enjoy a more efficient and streamlined in-store shopping experience since their preapproval information is already loaded into our systems,” says Yochem. “Our customers tell us they appreciate the convenience of being able to obtain pre-approval online.”

Rent-A-Center’s eCommerce solution brings the benefits of rent-to-own to consumers, regardless of where they choose to shop. For a new and returning market of consumers, that means access to the quality products they want and need for their homes is now just “a click away.”

About Rent-A-Center, Inc.

A rent-to-own industry leader, Plano, TX-based, Rent-A-Center, Inc., is focused on improving the quality of life for its customers by providing them the opportunity to obtain ownership of high-quality, durable products such as consumer electronics, appliances, computers, furniture and accessories, and smartphones, under flexible rental purchase agreements with no long-term obligation. The Company owns and operates approximately 2,600 stores in the United States, Mexico, Canada and Puerto Rico, and approximately 1,870 Acceptance Now locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. Rent-A-Center Franchising International, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company, is a national franchiser of approximately 230 rent-to-own stores operating under the trade names of "Rent-A-Center," "ColorTyme," and "RimTyme." For additional information about the Company, please visit our website at www.rentacenter.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Such forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "may," "will," "expect," "intend," "could," "estimate," "should," "anticipate," or "believe," or the negative thereof or variations thereon or similar terminology. The Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are accurate. However, there can be no assurance that such expectations will occur. The Company's actual future performance could differ materially from such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to: the Company’s ability to develop and successfully execute strategic initiatives; the Company's ability to successfully implement its new store information management system; the Company's ability to develop and successfully implement virtual or e-commerce capabilities; the Company's ability to identify and successfully market products and services that appeal to its customer demographic; consumer preferences and perceptions of the Company's brand; the Company's ability to enter into new and collect on its rental or lease purchase agreements; the Company's compliance with applicable statutes or regulations governing its transactions; information technology and data security costs; the impact of any breaches in data security or other disturbances to the Company's information technology and other networks and the Company's ability to protect the integrity and security of individually identifiable data of its customers and employees; and the other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's SEC reports, including but not limited to, its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015, and its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2016, June 30, 2016, and September 30, 2016. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Except as required by law, the Company is not obligated to publicly release any revisions to these forward-looking statements to reflect the events or circumstances after the date of this press release or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161206006190/en/

Source: Rent-A-Center, Inc.

Rent-A-Center, Inc.
Maureen Short, 972-801-1899
Interim Chief Financial Officer
maureen.short@rentacenter.com