Aaron's will add stores, nearly 1,000 workers
Aaron's, the Atlanta-based rent-to-own retailer, will create nearly 1,000 retail jobs this year at 150 new stores either under construction or planned, and additional support jobs in Atlanta, the company said.
Three or four new stores are pegged for the metro Atlanta area, said Robin Loudermilk, Aaron's president and CEO. An additional dozen jobs will be created at the home office to support company growth.
Aaron's already has added 50 employees. The company anticipates 500 jobs to come from its own store openings and an additional 400 jobs to come from an expected 75 franchised stores. The additions will be spread out throughout this year.
"Hopefully Atlanta will benefit from our expansion," Loudermilk said.
The company also has begun testing a weekly rent-to-own concept, Homesmart, but Loudermilk said the latest job projections do not include the new concept.
Aaron's currently has 1,850 stores, and Loudermilk said several new stores are under construction.
"As we grow, we just need to add folks," he said. "We're fortunate."
In September, the company laid off between 20 and 25 employees in accounting, IT and real estate as it streamlined some processes while it planned to hire more at a Marietta call center.
About the Author
Arielle Kass covers Gwinnett County for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She started at the paper in 2010, and has covered business and local government beats around metro Atlanta. Arielle is a graduate of Emory University.
