Ace Hardware Launches Free Store Pickup Nationwide

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Mar 31, 2015) - Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, announces the national launch of its Free Store Pickup program beginning tomorrow at participating Ace stores. Free Store Pickup will allow customers to check their neighborhood Ace store's available inventory on www.acehardware.com and either go in-store to make their purchase knowing the store has the items they need for their project or simply place their order online and pick it up in-store the same day.* The new program will demonstrate how Ace continues to extend its helpful brand promise beyond the store by providing consumers with an improved, more convenient way to shop right in their neighborhood.

"Free Store Pickup enables consumers in neighborhoods across the country to complete their home maintenance projects more quickly and easily than they were able to before," said Jeff Gooding, Senior Director, Consumer Marketing, Ace Hardware Corporation. "Our new service will offer a more convenient way to shop, saving consumers' time and giving them the confidence that their local Ace has everything they need, so they can get it right away and complete their project. We're taking Ace helpful to the next level to meet our consumers' needs!"

In conjunction with the national launch of Free Store Pickup, this week Ace also debuts a new television commercial, "Golf Swing Away." Featuring PGA TOUR star Hunter Mahan, the spot highlights the benefits of the Free Store Pickup program and will air on more than 30 cable networks, including ESPN, USA, TLC and HGTV, as well as during select golf-related broadcasts on The Golf Channel and NBC. Ace Hardware announced a multi-year sponsorship with Mahan in January 2015, which marked the first time the 91-year-old company has sponsored an active professional athlete.

Free Store Pickup first launched in select Ace stores last year and helps eliminate unnecessary shipping costs and shipment wait times by allowing consumers to identify items already in-stock at their neighborhood Ace. Consumers can simply visit acehardware.com, click "Check Availability" on any product they are interested in purchasing to determine which local stores have that item in stock, and order and pick up that item in-store the same day or simply visit the store to purchase it directly. Users can also utilize Free Store Pickup on their mobile devices through the acehardware.com mobile website, as well as Ace's iPhone and Android apps.

For more information on Ace's Free Store Pickup program stop by your neighborhood Ace store or visit www.acehardware.com/storepickup.

*See www.acehardware.com/storepickup for details. Some restrictions apply. Available at participating Ace locations.

About Ace Hardware
For more than 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. In 2014, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Eight Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 4,800 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries currently operate 17 distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Shanghai, China; Panama City, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 60 countries. For more information on Ace, visit www.acehardware.com.

About Hunter Mahan
Hunter Mahan, a six-time winner on the PGA TOUR, claimed his first professional victory in 2007 at the Travelers Championship. He has been a member of four United States President's Cup teams and three United States Ryder Cup Teams. His most recent victory came in August 2014 at The Barclay's when he captured the first event in the 2014 FedExCup Playoffs. For more information on Hunter Mahan, visit www.mahangolf.com.