Buddy's Home Furnishings

Selling Top Brands at Affordable Prices

About Us

Buddys Home Furnishings is a rent-to-own furniture, appliance and electronics franchise. Established in Tampa Florida in 1961, Buddys now has over 340 locations and is one of the fastest growing franchises in America.

Rent-to-Own (RTO) is an $12.6 billion industry that allows customers to obtain everyday necessities through affordable payments without the pressure of long-term financial obligations. The RTO industry emerged in the 1950s in response to customer demand for acquiring household products without incurring debt or jeopardizing the family’s credit.

Our Story

Buddy's Home Furnishings was founded in 1961 by Mr. Norman "Slats" Slatton. Selling used appliances from his home, Slatton had a dream that one day he would have an appliance store of his own where he could service the demands of growing Tampa. A few years later, Slatton's dreams were realized when he opened his first appliance showroom.

Later on Mr. Slatton realized that a growing number of young families were not able to purchase a new television or appliance because they either lacked good credit or were unable to come up with a large down payment. It was at this time the "Rent to Own" plan was introduced to the bay area.

Buddy's offers name-brand products, ranging from Ashley Furniture and Tempur-Sealy Bedding, to Whirlpool appliances, Sony, LG, and Samsung electronics. Products are offered to customers through "rent to own" programs or traditional retail same-as-cash platforms.

Buddy's caters to the "credit challenged" consumer. Benefits to the consumer include any easy application process, no credit checks, and a wide selection of quality merchandise, flexible rent-to-own payment plans, same-day delivery, and no long-term obligation to keep the merchandise.

Why Franchise With Buddy's Home Furnishings?

When you franchise with Buddy’s Home Furnishings your investment will soar in a recession-resistant and essential industry that keeps growing. Since our founding in 1961, our team has transformed Buddy’s into the nationally-recognized brand we are today. Over the past six decades, we’ve refined a proven operating model and established relational equity with our customers. With our best-in-class training, support and service, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that we’re setting you up for success.

Recurring Revenue: Unlike traditional retail where a product is purchased once, rent-to-own products can be rented multiple times, yielding recurring returns. Customers paying in installments means steady revenue trickles in long after the initial purchase.

Recession Resistant: Despite economic headwinds, rent-to-own annual revenue has been trending upwards for decades. Customers don’t go a day without needing home furnishings and electronics, allowing franchise owners to remain confident in their recession-resistant investment.

Essential Industry: Rent-to-own is built to meet the needs of customers. Since affordability will never go out of style, our customers recognize the value of being able to rent necessary household items without jeopardizing their credit.

Unlimited Growth Potential: Services like “buy now, pay later” are increasingly expected for acquiring everyday products, making rent-to-own commonplace in retail. The demand for rent-to-own isn’t slowing down and presents ripe financial opportunities.

Training and Support

Franchise consultants and Buddy's playbooks: Buddy’s franchise owners are given a detailed “playbook” to ensure they’re fully supported each step of the way. From day one and beyond, our franchise owners have access to the resources needed to run a successful franchise, including franchise consultants. With an average of 25 years of experience in the industry, our franchise consultants serve as on-the-ground guides for franchise owners both pre and post-opening.

Real estate guidance: With nationwide territories available, it can be difficult to narrow down your search for the perfect Buddy’s franchise location. Our real estate experts help you review potential sites, negotiate a lease, oversee site development and more.

Local Marketing Fund: A well-rounded marketing strategy includes both national and local campaigns. Each store puts 2% towards localized promotion while our dedicated marketing team assists in upholding brand standards and promoting store products to increase a return on your investment.

Access to bulk buying: Buying in bulk is one way our franchise owners save money on accumulating store products. Franchise owners have 24/7 access to our purchasing portal, which features over 14,000 products and support for each item.

Proprietary POS system: Our proprietary point-of-sales system was built to simplify store processes for rent-to-own professionals. Its user-friendly design allows employees to learn the program quickly and easily. By incorporating state-of-the-art retail technology into our systems, we ensure our franchise owners have the best of the best.

IT support: Our internal team of IT professionals maximizes the efficiency of your in-store and online technology systems. By analyzing and troubleshooting any electronic challenges you may face, our IT team keeps your operations running smoothly.

**Start your franchise journey with Buddy's Home Furnishings. Contact us today!