ATLANTA - Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, announced today that Sharon Lawrence has been named Vice President of Finance and Kirby Salgado joins Aaron's as Vice President of Merchandising.

"Sharon was instrumental in raising the financing for Aaron's acquisition of Progressive Finance," said Steve Michaels, Aaron's President. "In her brief two years at Aaron's, she's demonstrated tremendous value and has built great relationships for the Company with our banking group. She will be an outstanding Vice President of Finance while leading the Aaron's, Inc. finance team going forward.

"Additionally, after a national search, we're pleased to welcome Kirby Salgado to Aaron's as Vice President of Merchandising. His extensive experience in sourcing and merchandising leadership will provide immediate results in driving cost efficiencies while securing the quality, brand-name products that our customers expect and deserve from Aaron's," said Michaels

Lawrence, formerly Aaron's Director of Franchise Finance, joined Aaron's in 2012 after a 25+ year career at SunTrust Bank. While at SunTrust she served in a variety of lending and managerial positions throughout the Corporate & Investment Banking Division. Lawrence holds a BBA in Accounting from Georgia State University's J. Mack Robinson College of Business. She will report to Gil Danielson, Aaron's Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Salgado most recently served as VP/GMM for Sears Holdings where he led the merchandising of the Lawn & Garden categories for both Sears and Kmart. He has also held key roles at fred's Super Dollar, Office Depot and Burdines Department Store where he had a consistent track record of performance and brought greatly improved efficiencies to the merchandising operations. Salgado earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of South Florida. He will report to Aaron's President Steve Michaels

About Aaron's, Inc.

Aaron's, Inc. (NYSE: AAN), a leader in the sales and lease ownership and specialty retailing of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has more than 2,130 Company-operated and franchised stores in 48 states and Canada. Aaron's was founded in 1955, is headquartered in Atlanta and has been publicly traded since 1982. For more information, visit www.aarons.com. Aaron's, Inc. includes the Aarons.com and ShopHomeSmart.com brands.

Source: Aaron's, Inc.