. for other uses see aaron disambiguation . this article contains content that is written like an advertisement . please help improve it by removing promotional content and inappropriate external links and by adding encyclopedic content written from a neutral point of view . july 2016 learn how and when to remove this template message aaron s inc. type public traded as nyse aan industry furniture founded 1955 founder r. charles loudermilk headquarters atlanta georgia usa area served north america key people ray robinson chairman john w. robinson iii ceo products furniture rental rent to own revenue 3.179 billion fy 2015 1 operating income 139.8 million fy 2014 2 net income 78.2 million fy 2014 3 total assets 2.457 billion fy 2014 4 total equity 1.224 billion fy 2014 5 number of employees 12 400 december 2014 6 subsidiaries progressive leasing website www.aarons.com aaron s store dearborn heights michigan aaron s inc. is a lease to own retailer . the company focuses on leases and retail sales of furniture electronics appliances and computers . in 2014 aaron s completed the transformative acquisition of progressive finance resulting in the strategic positioning of the company as the leader in both the traditional rent to own rto industry as well as the emerging virtual rent to own rto space no citation . the acquisition supports the company s strategy to address credit challenged customers changing needs for acquiring home furniture electronics and appliances as the consumer population leans more toward a multi channel acquisition of goods and services . in april 2016 aaron s inc. succeeded at setting the world record for the largest game of tumbling mattress dominoes . to achieve this feat they utilized over 1 000 people and mattresses . 7 contents 1 locations 2 history 3 controversy 4 sponsorships 5 see also 6 references 7 external links locations edit as of 31 december 2014 update aaron s inc. has 2 108 stores 1 326 company operated stores and 782 independently owned and operated franchised stores in 48 states the district of columbia and canada . 8 history edit this section needs expansion . you can help by adding to it . may 2011 aaron rents inc. was founded by r. charles loudermilk sr. in 1955 . 9 in september 2008 aaron s announced the sale of its corporate furnishings division to cort business services part of berkshire hathaway . aaron s corporate furnishings division which operated 47 stores had recorded revenues of approximately 99 million in 2007 . 10 within the last quarter of 2012 aaron s opened its 2000th store . in november 2014 aaron s announced that john w. robinson iii will take over the ceo position of the company from ronald w. allen . 11 in 2014 aaron s announced plans to reshape its core business to focus on same store revenue growth enhancing aaron s online platform driving cost efficiencies moderating new store growth and strengthening the franchise network . the company has been aggressively developing its online strategy which includes the rollout of an e commerce platform in 2015 . this demonstrates aaron s strategic initiative to reach its customers in an ever evolving marketplace . controversy edit in february 2013 customers sued aaron s for allegedly using spyware on rented computers to send over 185 000 emails to the rental company including customers social security numbers passwords and captured keystrokes as well as explicit images . 12 aaron s inc. officials had previously said that the company had not installed the spyware and individual franchisees were responsible . 12 in october 2013 aaron s agreed to a settlement with the federal trade commission that limited how it used monitoring technology and ordered it to delete customer information that had been improperly collected . 13 sponsorships edit the aaron s sponsored no. 55 toyota camry of mwr nascar racing aaron s sponsors michael waltrip in nascar s sprint cup series on a part time basis . aaron s was also the namesake of the spring race at talladega superspeedway the aaron s 499 along with the nationwide series spring race at the track the aaron s 312 from 2002 to 2014 . national hot rod association racing aaron s sponsors don schumacher racing in the nhra full throttle drag racing series . they sponsor funny car driver jack beckman and top fuel driver antron brown . aaron s will sponsor clint bowyer in the no. 15 chevrolet ss for hscott motorsports for at least one race in 2016 . see also edit list of companies in the united states references edit aaron s inc. 2015 annual report . aarons inc. retrieved june 25 2016 . aaron s inc. 2014 annual report form 10 k filing date feb 29 2012 . secdatabase.com . retrieved 15 june 2015 . aaron s inc. 2014 annual report form 10 k filing date feb 29 2012 . secdatabase.com . retrieved 15 june 2015 . aaron s inc. 2014 annual report form 10 k filing date feb 29 2012 . secdatabase.com . retrieved 15 june 2015 . aaron s inc. 2014 annual report form 10 k filing date feb 29 2012 . secdatabase.com . retrieved 15 june 2015 . aaron s inc. 2014 annual report form 10 k filing date feb 29 2012 . secdatabase.com . retrieved 15 june 2015 . http www.guinnessworldrecords.com news 2016 4 video largest human mattress dominoes world record gets toppled in the us 423920 sec filings . aarons.com . aaron rents inc. changes name to aaron s inc. . pr newswire . ccbn thomson reuters . april 14 2009 . retrieved 2011 05 04 . founded in 1955 by entrepreneur r. charles loudermilk sr. and headquartered in atlanta aaron s has been publicly traded since 1982 . aaron rents inc. sells aaron s corporate furnishings division to cort business services . reuters . 2008 09 15 . seward christopher . aaron s names john robinson iii as ceo . ajc.com . retrieved 13 november 2014 . a b 185 000 spyware emails were sent to aaron s computers . nbc news . february 28 2013 . archived from the original on march 1 2013 . retrieved march 6 2013 . leon stafford october 23 2013 . rental business aaron s admits role in spying on customers . retrieved october 24 2013 . sources plunkett jack w. december 2007 . plunkett s retail industry almanac 2008 . isbn 1 59392 101 2 . external links edit official website aaron s sales and lease ownership website aaron s office furniture website rimco home staging by aaron s home staging furniture fulfilled by aaron s homesmart subsidiary of aaron s inc. aaron inc sec filings v t e atlanta companies aaron s inc. agco duluth american megatrends gwinnett county arby s sandy springs at & t mobility atlanta bread company smyrna atlanta gas light bellsouth chick fil a college park church s chicken sandy springs coca cola cox enterprises delta air lines earthlink equifax expressjet college park georgia natural gas georgia pacific georgia power holiday inn holiday inn express the home depot cobb county hooters intercontinental exchange krystal kool smiles marietta merial duluth ncr corporation gwinnett county newell rubbermaid popeyes sandy springs racetrac rheem scientific atlanta lawrenceville simmons bedding company southern company suntrust banks turner broadcasting system united parcel service sandy springs waffle house gwinnett county the weather channel cobb county retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title aaron % 27s inc. & oldid 743694246 categories companies listed on the new york stock exchangecompanies based in atlantacompanies established in 1955retail companies of the united statesrentingfranchiseshidden categories articles with a promotional tone from july 2016all articles with a promotional tonepages using infobox company with unsupported parametersarticles containing potentially dated statements from december 2014all articles containing potentially dated statementsarticles to be expanded from may 2011all articles to be expandedarticles using small message boxesofficial website different in wikidata and wikipedia navigation menu personal tools not logged intalkcontributionscreate accountlog in 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