Ace Hardware Corporation reported second-quarter 2023 revenues of $2.6 billion, an increase of $99.6 million, or 3.9 percent, from the second quarter of 2022. Net income was $126.7 million for the second quarter of 2023, an increase of $1.9 million from the second quarter of 2022.
“A 45 percent increase in visits to Acehardware.com drove an 18 percent increase in our digital business, a 3 percent increase in-store visits, and an encouraging 1.1 percent increase in same-store transactions during the quarter,” said John Venhuizen, President & CEO. “I’m very proud of the Ace team for delivering a 3.9 percent increase in revenue and a 6.6 percent increase in operating income within a difficult environment for retailers of durable goods.”
The approximately 3,600 Ace retailers who share daily retail sales data reported a 0.4 percent increase in U.S. retail same-store sales during the second quarter of 2023, which was the result of a 1.1 percent increase in same-store transactions; partially offset by a 0.8 percent decrease in average ticket.
Revenues
Consolidated revenues for the quarter ended July 1, 2023, totaled $2.6 billion. Total wholesale revenues were $2.4 billion, an increase of $96.9 million, or 4.3 percent, as compared to the prior year’s second quarter. Increases were seen across a majority of departments with lawn and garden, paint, and grilling showing the largest gains. New stores are defined as stores that were activated from January 2022 through June 2023. The Company had an increase in wholesale merchandise revenues from new domestic stores of $58.4 million during the second quarter of 2023, while wholesale merchandise revenues decreased by $9.8 million during the second quarter due to domestic stores whose memberships were canceled. Wholesale merchandise revenues to comparable domestic stores increased $11.7 million for the quarter. The Company’s Ace International Holdings, Ltd. subsidiary experienced a $3.7 million decrease in wholesale revenue versus the second quarter of 2022, while Ace Wholesale Holdings LLC reported a $0.2 million decrease in wholesale revenues from the second quarter of 2022.
Total retail revenues for the quarter were $260.7 million, an increase of $2.7 million, or 1.0 percent, as compared to the prior year’s second quarter. Retail revenues were negatively impacted by the closure of The Grommet during the third quarter of 2022, resulting in the absence of any revenues from Ace Ecommerce Holdings LLC (“AEH”) in the second quarter of 2023 compared with $5.6 million in the second quarter of 2022. Retail revenues from Ace Retail Holdings LLC (“ARH”) were $260.7 million in the second quarter of 2023, an increase of $8.3 million, or 3.3 percent, from the second quarter of 2022. This increase was primarily driven by new stores added by the Westlake Ace Hardware (“Westlake”) and the Great Lakes Ace Hardware (“GLA”) chains since the end of the first quarter of 2022, which contributed $6.7 million of incremental revenues. Westlake experienced a 2.4 percent increase in same-store sales while GLA experienced a 1.5 percent decrease in same-store sales in the quarter. Westlake and GLA together operated 231 stores at the end of the second quarter of 2023 compared to 215 stores at the end of the second quarter of 2022.
Ace added 36 new domestic stores in the second quarter of 2023 and canceled 13 stores. The Company’s total domestic store count was 4,924 at the end of the second quarter of 2023 which was an increase of 108 stores from the second quarter of 2022. On a worldwide basis, Ace added 46 stores in the second quarter of 2023 and canceled 14, bringing the worldwide store count to 5,811 at the end of the second quarter of 2023.
Gross Profit
Wholesale gross profit for the three months ended July 1, 2023 was $323.6 million, an increase of $36.3 million from the second quarter of 2022. The wholesale gross margin percentage was 13.6 percent of wholesale revenues in the second quarter of 2023, up from 12.6 percent in the second quarter of 2022. The increase in wholesale gross margin percentage was primarily due to a decrease in LIFO expense driven by moderating vendor prices.
Retail gross profit for the three months ended July 1, 2023 was $112.6 million, a decrease of $1.9 million from the second quarter of 2022. The retail gross margin percentage was 43.2 percent of retail revenues in the second quarter of 2023, down from 44.4 percent in the second quarter of 2022. The decrease in retail gross margin percentage primarily resulted from product mix and increased shrink expense. For ARH, retail gross profit is based on the Company’s wholesale acquisition cost of product, not ARH’s acquisition cost which includes a markup from the Company.
Expenses and Other
Wholesale operating expenses increased $35.6 million, or 18.9 percent, from the second quarter of 2022. The increase is due to increased advertising expenses, greater lease expense driven by the opening of additional Retail Support Centers and higher compensation expense. Wholesale operating expenses as a percent of wholesale revenues increased to 9.4 percent in the second quarter of 2023 from 8.3 percent in the second quarter of 2022.
Retail operating expenses decreased $10.4 million, or 12.8 percent, from the second quarter of 2022. This decrease was driven by the closure of The Grommet during the third quarter of 2022, resulting in the absence of operating expenses from AEH in the second quarter of 2023. Retail operating expenses as a percent of retail revenue decreased to 27.1 percent in the second quarter of 2023 from 31.4 percent in the second quarter of 2022.
Interest expense increased $6.4 million from the second quarter of 2022 due to higher interest rates and increased borrowings.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flow
Receivables increased $18.3 million from the second quarter of 2022 driven by an increase in past due trade balances and an increase in notes receivable from Ace Retailers.
Inventories decreased $156.9 million from the second quarter of 2022 primarily as a result of a $68.6 million increase in the LIFO reserve recorded in the second half of 2022 and a reduction in overstock inventory.
Long-term debt, including current maturities, increased by $101.4 million versus the second quarter of 2022. At the end of the second quarter of 2023, long-term debt consisted of $280.0 million outstanding on the revolving credit facility and $49.9 million owed to former retailers.
About Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world with over 5,800 locally owned and operated hardware stores in approximately 60 countries. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; and Santa Catarina, Mexico. Since 1924, Ace has become a part of local communities around the world and known as the place with the Helpful Hardware folks. For more information, visit acehardware.com or newsroom.acehardware.com.
In 2023, Ace ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores” according to J.D. Power, sixteen out of the last seventeen years.
