The rent-to-own leader is driving conversion of corporate-owned units thanks to a refranchising initiative targeting multi-unit franchisees and major investors.

Last year, Rent-A-Center, the dominant leader in the rent-to-own space, launched a refranchising initiative to convert corporate-owned locations to qualified franchisees in an effort to increase the percentage of franchise-owned locations, targeting multi-unit franchisees and major investors who want to expand their portfolios. The testing of this refranchising initiative was led by the sale of 45 corporate-owned locations across Florida and Georgia to Tampa-based Impact RTO Holdings, the retail division of Tampa-based holdings company Impact Properties. The test went so well that RTO Holdings just recently purchased an additional 31 locations across the two states. Recently, Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine caught up with Shirin Kanji, RTO’s President, who discussed his experience with refranchising more than 76 locations and his overall goals as a multi-unit and multi-concept franchisee. 

 

"We want franchisors to think of us first when opportunities arise because of the reputation we have established as both a successful operator and a quality employer," Kanji told Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine.