Ace Hardware Celebrates Award-Recognized Customer Satisfaction With Cross Country Tour

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - Aug 26, 2014) - Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, is proud to kick off its J.D. Power Award Neighborhood Tour for the second year in a row. Recently ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores" for the eighth year in a row by J.D. Power, Ace will celebrate the achievement by taking all eight J.D. Power trophies on the road, visiting 38 states and more than 175 neighborhood Ace Hardware stores. 

Following the success of the inaugural J.D. Power Award Neighborhood Tour earlier this year, the latest tour will occur in two phases. The first phase, spanning over 12 weeks, launched this week and will last through November, with the trophies making stops in 22 states east of the Mississippi River and covering more than 12,000 miles. The tour's second phase will start in January and last through April 2015 with the trophies making stops in 16 states west of the Mississippi River, covering over 12,000 miles.

Each individually owned and operated neighborhood Ace Hardware store across the country is committed to ensuring exceptional customer service in the communities they serve. Ace's J.D. Power Award Neighborhood Tour will honor Ace retailers who provide their customers with a more personal kind of helpful.

"We are honored and humbled to receive this recognition from our valued customers for the eighth year in a row," said John Venhuizen, President and CEO, Ace Hardware Corporation. "We believe we are blessed to be in the business of serving others, so it is encouraging to see our local Ace owners and their teams of 'helpful hardware folks' ranked so highly by consumers. I know the Ace team views these awards not with arrogance, but with a humbled determination to even better serve their communities."

Customers will have the opportunity to take a photo with the prestigious trophies at each event throughout the J.D. Power Award Neighborhood Tour, as well as have the opportunity to win prizes and take advantage of in-store promotions in appreciation for their continued support of locally owned businesses like Ace Hardware.

Ace Hardware has received the ranking of "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores" since J.D. Power began this study eight years ago. The study is based on responses from more than 2,900 consumers who purchased home improvement products or services within the previous 12 months. Ace Hardware ranked highest among major retailers with an overall satisfaction index score of 791 on a 1,000-point scale. The score is based on performance in five areas: merchandise, price, sales and promotions, staff and service, and store facility.

For more information on the J.D. Power Neighborhood Tour, please visit your participating neighborhood Ace Hardware or www.acehardware.com to view the full schedule.

About Ace Hardware
For 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 4,850 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 14 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.

Disclaimer: Ace Hardware received the highest numerical score among retail stores in the proprietary J.D. Power 2007-2014 Home Improvement Retail Store Studies(SM). 2014 study based on responses from 2,948 consumers measuring six stores and opinions of consumers who purchased a home improvement product or service within the previous 12 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed January-February 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.