Ace Hardware is an American hardware store chain. It is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, and operates more than 4,700 stores in the United States and 71 other countries.
Ace Hardware was founded in 1924 by Richard Hesse, E.C. Stake, and Frank Kenney as a cooperative of Chicago-area hardware retailers. The company began as Ace Stores, Inc., and changed its name to Ace Hardware Corporation in 1931. It was then acquired by Richard E. Bergmann in 1936.
Bergmann’s son, Rayberg, became CEO in 1966. In 1979, Ace Hardware Corporation was purchased by the retail giant Kmart. Kmart then sold Ace to Richard E. Bergmann’s family in Ace Stores Group, LLC in 1994.
Today, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, and the largest non-grocery American retailer. It is bigger than its next two competitors combined: True Value and Do it Best Corp. When asked Is Ace Hardware American made?
The answer is a resounding yes!
Conclusion:
Ace Hardware is an American made hardware store chain that is headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois. It operates more than 4,700 stores in the United States and 71 other countries. Ace Hardware was founded in 1924 and it was acquired by Kmart in 1979.