---
title: "Buddy’s Home Furnishings Reports Multi-unit Growth, Enters West Virginia in Third Quarter"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/70d0866e-7996-447e-ae20-085e666da247
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20231024_buddys_home_furnishings_reports_multiunit_growth_enters_west_virginia_in_th.html
category: "Specialty retail"
industry: "Retail"
segment: "Specialty retail"
topics: ["Development & multi-unit"]
published: 2023-10-24T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T22:32:47.895Z
image: https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1507679799987-c73779587ccf?w=1600&q=80&auto=format&fit=crop
---

# Buddy’s Home Furnishings Reports Multi-unit Growth, Enters West Virginia in Third Quarter

**TL;DR:** Buddy's Home Furnishings awarded three locations during the third quarter to Colton Erskine and operating groups Pierce RTO, LLC, and Hodge RTO Group, Inc., entering West Virginia for the first time. The company also opened five new franchised locations across Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2023-10-24. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20231024_buddys_home_furnishings_reports_multiunit_growth_enters_west_virginia_in_th.html).*

## Story

ORLANDO, Fla. - Buddy’s Home Furnishings, a retailer specializing in the sales and rental ownership of furniture, electronics, appliances and home accessories, awarded three locations during this year’s third quarter to Colton Erskine and operating groups Pierce RTO, LLC, and Hodge RTO Group, Inc.

Erskine is a first-time franchise owner and will bring Buddy’s first West Virginia location to Clarksburg. Pierce RTO, LLC and Hodge RTO Group, Inc. were also each awarded a new store that will add to their growing multi-unit footprints.

“The growth we saw in the third quarter is a testament to our strategic growth into new and existing markets,” said Mitchell Lee, Director of Franchise Development at Buddy’s. “We’re seeing a strong repurchase rate among existing franchise owners, which is how we’ve steadily increased our multi-unit ownership base to 91%. Colton also joins a growing group of Buddy’s owners that want to pioneer new territories and states, and we’re committed to making his entry into West Virginia a success.”

During the third quarter, Buddy’s opened five new franchised locations across Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

In addition to signing for its third store in the third quarter, operating group Pierce RTO, LLC, led by Loren Pierce, PharmD, RPh, opened one of their new locations in Dublin, GA. Pierce is also the founder and CEO of Pierce Pharmacy Management, Inc., an entity group comprising more than 20 retail pharmacies, durable medical equipment, drug wholesale and flower shops.

“With shrinking margins in the retail pharmacy environment, I started exploring other synergistic, community-focused retail businesses which led me to Buddy’s,” said Pierce. “I initially signed for eight stores in Georgia, three of which are now open. Buddy’s dedication to supporting me as a franchise owner and the success we’ve seen so far have led me to confidently invest in another location.”

Buddy's Home Furnishings, a subsidiary of Franchise Group Inc., is a retailer specializing in the sales and rental ownership of furniture, electronics, and appliances. Buddy's has more than 335 stores in the United States and Guam. For more information, visit BuddysFranchising.com.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- franchise development (topic)
- Retail (sector)
- location expansion (topic)
- north carolina (location)
- Georgia (location)
- Virginia (location)
- West Virginia (location)
- multi-unit growth (topic)
- Buddy's Home Furnishings (company)
- Franchise Brands (company)
- Mitchell Lee (person)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20231024_buddys_home_furnishings_reports_multiunit_growth_enters_west_virginia_in_th.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/70d0866e-7996-447e-ae20-085e666da247).