Ace Hardware Named "Nation's Most Favorite Home Improvement Chain"

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Apr 24, 2015) - A new study conducted by Market Force, a leading global customer intelligence research firm, recently named Ace Hardware "America's favorite home improvement chain." According to the study, the findings are based on consumers' satisfaction levels and likelihood to recommend Ace Hardware to others.

For the rankings, Market Force polled nearly 2,000 consumers who were asked to rate their satisfaction with their last experience at a given home improvement store and their likelihood to recommend it to others. That data was averaged to rate each brand on a Composite Loyalty Index. The Market Force study also looked at the attributes that drive these preferences, analyzing factors such as merchandise and brand selection, cleanliness and value.

From the study, Ace Hardware received the top composite loyalty score of 61 percent, followed by competitors Menards, Lowe's, Home Depot and Walmart. According to the study issued by Market Force, "Ace Hardware ranked first in nearly every category, with particularly strong marks for organized merchandise and speedy checkouts."

"These survey results recognize the outstanding work that Ace retailers do in their stores every day to fulfill our brand promise, to be the most helpful hardware stores on the planet," said John Surane, Executive Vice President, Merchandising, Marketing, Sales. "It is through this caliber of excellent customer service that we can continue to differentiate our brand against the competition."

The findings went on to say, "Additionally, the results showed Ace Hardware is living up to its brand promise of being the place with 'the helpful hardware folks,' as its associates were most likely to assist customers. Those Ace Hardware customers also had the highest conversation rate at 90 percent." It also reported that Ace's loyalty program, Ace Rewards -- which boasts more than 34 million members -- is the most popular loyalty program among home improvement retailers by a large margin.

Survey Demographics
The survey was conducted online in February 2015 across the United States. The pool of 1,992 consumers (for the home improvement portion of the study) represented a cross-section of the four U.S. census regions and reflected a broad spectrum of income levels, with 62% reporting household incomes of more than $50,000 a year. Respondents' ages ranged from 18 to over 65. Approximately 71% were men and 29% were women.

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.