Buddy's Home Furnishings Begins New Chapter With Skyline Investors

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Skyline Investors announced today the acquisition of Buddy's Home Furnishings ("Buddy's"), the third-largest rent-to-own franchisor in the United States. The investment marks a transformative moment for the established brand, bringing Skyline’s flexible capital solutions and an engaged ownership approach to support Buddy's nationwide network of 220+ locations.

Operating across 18 states and in Guam, Buddy's provides accessible furniture, appliance, and home goods solutions to consumers. The company was recently recognized as #276 in Entrepreneur's Franchise Top 500 for 2025.

"This is an exciting new chapter for Buddy's," said CEO Michael Bennett. "Skyline brings a collaborative mindset that our franchisees and customers will feel immediately. Their flexible approach and ability to move quickly allowed them to structure a solution that worked for us when others couldn’t. We're not just changing ownership; we're gaining committed partners who understand our business, value our franchise network, and are ready to invest in our collective success."

Skyline structured this investment alongside Standard Communities’ Co-Founders and Principals Jeffrey Jaeger and Scott Alter, whose expertise in affordable housing development complements Buddy's mission of serving families across the U.S. Together, Jaeger and Alter bring deep experience in capital formation, balance sheet management, and strategic growth. Their partnership with Skyline ensures Buddy’s is well-capitalized and positioned to invest meaningfully in growth, innovation, and long-term value creation.

"Our collaboration with Skyline on this deal reflects our confidence in their creative approach to investing,” said Jeffrey Jaeger. "By working together, we’re able to bring flexible capital solutions to businesses that strengthen the communities they serve. We look forward to this next phase for Buddy’s and its franchisees.”

Skyline is focused on supporting franchise health and operational improvements with a long-term, collaborative approach. Building on its experience investing in rent-to-own businesses, including Majik Rent-to-Own, Skyline brings practical industry insight to help strengthen Buddy’s operations and drive sustainable growth.

"Buddy's represents exactly the type of platform opportunity we're built to support," said Skyline Investors’ Founder and Managing Partner Kevin Tom. "With Buddy’s proven brand and strong franchise network, there’s a clear runway for growth. We’re excited to roll up our sleeves alongside the management team and franchisees to strengthen operations, support local owners with focus on their profitability, and invest in the next chapter of the business.”

Skyline is actively seeking opportunities to invest in underserved businesses in the healthcare, consumer and business services, technology, and domestic manufacturing sectors. For more information, please visit www.skylineinv.com.

About Buddy’s Home Furnishings

Buddy’s Home Furnishings, which operates under the ownership of Skyline Investors, LLC, is a retailer specializing in the sales and rental ownership of furniture, electronics, and appliances. Buddy’s has more than 220 stores in the United States and Guam and has earned a fifth consecutive ranking in the Franchise 500. For more information, visit www.buddysfranchising.com.

About Skyline Investors

Skyline Investors is a Los Angeles-based private equity firm specializing in micromarket companies with revenues ranging from $5 million to $50 million. Skyline provides flexible capital solutions, including control equity, mezzanine financing, and special situations funding. The firm invests across complementary sectors focused on community development, including healthcare, consumer and business services, technology, and domestic manufacturing. With a community-centered approach, Skyline partners with management teams to drive growth while creating jobs and empowering business owners to achieve their financial goals. For more information, visit www.skylineinv.com.

About Jeffrey Jaeger and Scott Alter

Jeffrey Jaeger and Scott Alter are Co-Founders and Principals of Standard Communities, a national real estate investment and operating platform with more than $8 billion in assets under management and over 30,000 units across the United States. Since founding Standard in 2008, they have built and scaled several other institutional-quality platforms through disciplined capital deployment, long-term ownership, and a focus on durable, cash-flowing businesses.