CORT News Center

Office Business Centers Benefit by Outsourcing Asset Management

Partnering with CORT relieves the burden of procuring and maintaining furniture

FAIRFAX, VA. (September 24, 2009) – Office business centers (OBCs) are benefiting by partnering with CORT for flexible management of furniture inventory. CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company and the only national furniture rental provider, serves as a strategic partner for OBC managers.

"Furniture rental is emerging as a best practice for office business center managers interested in new ways to manage costs while adding value for their customers," said Paula Green, vice president of national accounts for CORT. "Partnering with a company such as CORT allows office business center managers to focus on their core business of leasing space and providing efficient services to customers."

OBC managers often serve businesses in flux and must be able to react nimbly to changing market dynamics and opportunities. Furniture rental provides the flexibility for OBCs to adjust furniture inventory to precisely meet the needs of their customers without the burden of storing, managing and repairing excess furniture. By outsourcing the procurement and management of furniture, OBCs can instead use financial and human resources to invest in their core business.

"It is generally well understood that investing in a depreciating asset does not typically make good financial sense. For example, almost all companies that provide employee cars use leasing arrangements," said Green. "In the same way, renting furniture allows companies to outsource the disposition of this depreciating asset when it is no longer needed or an upgrade is desired."

A close analysis of the total life-cycle cost of furniture ownership and the flexibility of furniture rental clearly demonstrates the business benefits of renting furniture for some or all of a business' needs. Furniture "on demand," delivered and removed as needed with no capital investment, can relieve a major cost and distraction.

CORT's national and international reach enables them to address every furniture need seamlessly at any location with one phone call and ensure that furniture can be delivered and set up within 48 hours. CORT provides space planning assistance as an additional service.

For more than 35 years, CORT has been the nation's leading provider of rental furniture with a global network of affiliates in more than 50 countries. CORT, a Berkshire Hathaway company, also provides the nation’s most comprehensive range of rental relocation services, including online apartment search services at www.ApartmentSearch.com. CORT's customers include more than 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies. For more information, please visit www.cort.com