In a move likely to beef up the American Rental Association’s Rental Show attendance, ARA has forged a new alliance with True Value Co. to expand rental services and member benefits to all the hardware cooperative’s retailers who offer rental services through their local stores or stand-alone rental businesses.

ARA’s public relations and advertising manager Tracy Johannsen confirmed to RER that True Value will discontinue its annual January trade show, which will allow vendors who exhibit at both shows to consolidate their show involvement, while bringing more vendors to The Rental Show.

Effective July 1, ARA will extend member benefits to all True Value rental program participants: Grand Rental Station, Taylor Rental and Party Central rental franchises and Just Ask Rental and Rental Center licensed program retailers. True Value rental retailers will receive member-preferred pricing to The Rental Show.

The relationship strengthens already strong ties between the two organizations. True Value has been a general corporate member of ARA since 1984, and many of its retailers and suppliers hold their own ARA membership. The new alliance combines the resources of both organizations’ respective trade show capabilities under the banner of ARA’s annual Rental Show.

“Providing competitive, top-quality rental equipment and services is a critically important part of how our retailers serve their communities,” said Michelle Henebry Finnigan, director of True Value’s rental and maintenance repair and operations businesses. “In an economy that has customers watching every penny, rental provides an increasingly popular solution.”

True Value Co., based in Chicago, is one of the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware cooperatives with sales of $1.8 billion in 2009. The cooperative includes about 5,000 independent retailer locations worldwide operating as True Value, Grand Rental Station, Taylor Rental, Party Central, Home & Garden Showplace and Induserve Supply.