True Value is stepping onto a national stage as the Offi cial Hardware Partner of the BIG EAST Conference, bringing the trusted neighborhood hardware brand to millions of college basketball fans from March 11–14.

Do it Best and True Value dealers are actively engaging in the Spring Market at the Colorado Convention Center, where education, exclusive buying opportunities, networking, and strategic launches are designed to equip them with new tools, from cutting-edge solutions to data intelligence, that directly drive growth, margin, and profitability.

As the country prepares to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this July, 84 Lumber is launching its Building America250 campaign, a company-wide tribute honoring the past, present, and future of the industry that built America.

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.”

Ace Hardware is proud to announce its 2025 Vendors of the Year, recognizing a select group of vendor partners whose leadership, innovation and collaboration played a critical role in helping Ace retailers succeed over the past year. "Our vendor partners are essential to the strength of the Ace brand and the success of our independent retailers,” said Chris Huot, Corporate Vice President of Merchandising.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index® increased by 2.2 points in February to 91.2 (1985=100), from an upwardly revised 89.0 in January. The Present Situation Index—based on consumers’ assessment of current business and labor market conditions—decreased by 1.8 points to 120.0 in February. The Expectations Index—based on consumers’ short-term outlook for income, business, and labor market conditions—rose by 4.8 points to 72.0. The cutoff for preliminary results was February 17, 2026.

House-Hasson Hardware Company, headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, announced the appointment of Jeff Land as Chief Executive Officer. Land joins House-Hasson from Northern Tool & Equipment, where he currently serves as Senior Vice President of Merchandising, Inventory Management, Product Management, and Global Sourcing. He has previously served in senior roles at Generac and Harbor Freight.

Ace Hardware Corporation reported fourth quarter 2025 revenues of $2.5 billion, an increase of $226.7 million, or 9.9 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2024. Fiscal 2025 consisted of 53 weeks compared to 52 weeks in fiscal 2024. Excluding the 53rd week, revenues in the fourth quarter increased $107.3 million, or 4.7 percent, from the fourth quarter of 2024. Net income was $44.2 million for the fourth quarter of 2025, a decrease of $9.6 million from the fourth quarter of 2024. In the fourth quarter of 2024 the Company recorded a $17.8 million gain on the sale of the Company’s former Retail Support Center (“RSC”) in Little Rock, Arkansas that was partially offset by higher operating income in the fourth quarter of 2025.