CENTRALIA, Ill. --- In 2006, Rent One committed to a re-branding of all 43 of its rent-to-own (RTO) stores, located throughout Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri. The most recently remodeled location in Centralia, Illinois celebrated with an open house, giveaways, and grand re-opening, including a ribbon cutting by Mayor Becky Ault.

With new paint, a new counter, and the tear down of walls that used to separate departments, Rent One has a whole new look. In addition, the store now features enhanced product displays and a more exciting environment.

"With the new colors and new look, both employees and customers will enjoy a more exciting, positive environment," Centralia store manager Jim Klingenberg said.

The purpose of the re-branding is to modernize the stores‘ look and enhance the customer experience.

"We were ready to update our store environments to something more modern, and we wanted to make sure it was done with the customer experience in mind," Rent One vice president of sales and marketing Mark Williams said.

Now when customers enter the store, they can expect to be welcomed by walls accented with the vivid red and blue of Rent One. The layout of the products has also changed, with displays set up more like they would be used in a home environment.

"Products are featured in more of a home setting as opposed to a business environment. This helps our customers envision how the products might look in their home, so that they can choose the right items for their space and style," Klingenberg said.

In addition to the new layout, the store features a newly designed customer service area. According to Larry Carrico, president of Rent One, their customers are the motivation for the additions, improvements, and redesign.

"Our goal is to make every day a great day at Rent One, for both our customers and employees. The new color scheme, new carpet, and new counter area are all elements dedicated to make each person‘s shopping experience enjoyable. The store design reflects the great products and great service that we always take care to provide," Carrico said.

Including the Centralia store, 23 of the remodels are complete, with 10 more scheduled in 2008. Rent One plans to have all of its stores re-branded by the end of 2009.