For the first time, the Spring Convention was held in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Kentucky Exposition Center, drawing more than 12,000 attendees — nearly 1,000 more than last year — including 4,566 registered Ace retailers. A new city, but a familiar message energized retailers at the Ace Spring 2026 Convention: Ace remains the “hope of the hardware industry.”
Clinton Harris, Ace’s director of conventions, said the move to Louisville offered retailers the chance to experience a vibrant new host city while discovering new products, training opportunities and innovations designed to strengthen their businesses.
United Leadership, Shared Purpose
Board Chair Steven Burggraf opened the General Session by emphasizing alignment between the board and corporate management.
“When roles stay clear, the entire organization moves with efficiency and clarity,” Burggraf said. “When Ace is strong, your stores are strong.”
That theme continued as President and CEO John Venhuizen took the stage, reinforcing that Ace is “different by design.” Unlike traditional corporations, Ace does not centralize profits at the top — it pushes profits back to its retailer-owners.
“We’re not in the hardware business,” Venhuizen said. “We’ve been blessed to be in the business of serving others.”
He outlined what he called the “noble demands” of the cooperative: delivering world-class enterprise capabilities with owner-first economics, operating lean so retailers don’t have to, and earning alignment through trust and service — not control.
For retailers, the charge was equally clear: deliver high-touch service, protect the brand, and combine local autonomy with disciplined stewardship.
Winning Back the Convenience Crown
Venhuizen was candid about one key challenge: Ace has lost ground on convenience.
“Ace is no longer the most convenient consumer experience at retail — and that’s unacceptable,” he said.
To reclaim that position, Ace outlined five strategic priorities:
1. Win with proximity.
With 75% of Americans already within 15 minutes of an Ace store, the focus now is filling geographic gaps through responsible growth — ideally led by existing retailers.
2. Reduce latency.
Move faster as an enterprise and get products to customers more quickly.
3. Leverage marketplaces.
Ace expanded onto platforms such as DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats. Since launching on DoorDash in August 2025, 3,200 participating stores generated nearly 20% of total same-store sales growth in just five months.
“These aren’t competitors — they’re on-ramps,” Venhuizen said. “They’re delivering incremental demand.”
4. Remove last-mile friction.
By Q3, Ace plans to introduce new programs aimed at refining pricing strategies and balancing “fast and free” with “fast and fair” delivery models.
5. Embrace agentic commerce.
Ace is proactively engaging emerging AI-driven shopping tools, working with platforms such as OpenAI and Google Gemini to ensure Ace is not just searchable online — but chosen.
“If we’re not the brand those agents choose to fulfill rapidly, reliably and locally, we won’t get chosen at all,” Venhuizen said.
A Call to Local Leadership
“I am convinced to my core that Ace is the hope of the hardware industry,” Venhuizen said. “And our future lies primarily in the hands of our local leaders like you.”
From growth and digital innovation to service and stewardship, the 2026 Spring Convention reinforced a clear objective: strengthen the cooperative, sharpen convenience, and equip independent retailers to win in the modern era of retail.
About Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware is the largest hardware cooperative in the world, serving more than 8,800 locally owned and operated stores around the globe, while providing the best products, services, and operating methods to over 5,200 Ace retail stores in the United States. Ace Hardware’s family of brands includes Ace Hardware, Emery Jensen Distribution, and independent retailers worldwide. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois, Ace operates an expansive network of U.S. distribution centers, along with international capabilities in Ningbo, China, and Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico. Since 1924, Ace has been a part of local communities, known as the place with the helpful hardware folks. For more information, visit acehardware.com or newsroom.acehardware.com.
