---
title: "Ace Hardware Reports Overwhelming Success At Fall 2021 Convention"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/51af9ec0-1c0f-4685-998b-7d7ca8abc585
source: "Franchising.com"
original_url: https://www.franchising.com/news/20211001_ace_hardware_reports_overwhelming_success_at_fall_2021_convention.html
category: "Specialty retail"
industry: "Retail"
segment: "Specialty retail"
published: 2021-10-01T12:00:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T01:12:34.775Z
image: https://imgs.franchising.com/brands/social/acehardwarestore.jpg
---

# Ace Hardware Reports Overwhelming Success At Fall 2021 Convention

**TL;DR:** Ace Hardware reported overwhelming success at its Fall 2021 convention, with over 10,000 attendees and 3,300 Ace stores represented. The convention featured over 1,200 vendor exhibits and is on track to generate record sales.

*originally published in Franchising.com on 2021-10-01. [Read the original](https://www.franchising.com/news/20211001_ace_hardware_reports_overwhelming_success_at_fall_2021_convention.html).*

## Story

“I enjoy learning from my fellow retailers and find these events are how we grow and advance,” said Buck Hurst, owner of Buck’s Ace Hardware in St. George, Utah.

Ace occupied more than 800,000 square feet indoors, with an additional 150,000 square feet outdoors for grilling and outdoor power equipment. The outdoor space – featuring outdoor power and BBQ demos as well as the latest grilling innovations from the top grill brands – was twice the size of Ace’s last in-person show held in Atlanta in 2019.

In all, there were over 3,300 Ace stores in attendance from all 50 states and over 1,200 vendor exhibits making this year’s event one of the most successful in recent years, with attendance exceeding Ace’s last in person convention in Atlanta in 2019.

“Opening the show floor Tuesday morning to greet the rush of a couple thousand eager Ace retailers was exhilarating! They were so excited to be back together, the energy was palpable. It was a major step back toward “normal” and they were quite vocal in their appreciation for moving forward with the convention. I couldn’t be happier to report that the Ace team pulled off a safe and productive experience that will pay dividends for our retailers in the months to come,” said John Surane, Executive Vice President, Chief Merchandising and Sales Officer at Ace Hardware Corporation.

Additional show highlights included: more than 15,000 new items added to the RSC network, countless impactful programs unveiled, 8,000 vendor deals, nearly 50 live and virtual training sessions, more than 200 Ace Handyman Services franchisees attending for the first time; and, despite torrential rains, more than 5,500 attendees participated in the private Ace night at Universal Studios. Although the ordering window is still open for Ace retailers, this Orlando convention is on track to generate record sales.

Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world with more than 5,300 locally owned and operated hardware stores in approximately 70 countries. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; Colon, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Since 1924, Ace has become a part of local communities around the world and known as the place with the helpful hardware folks. For more information, visit acehardware.com or newsroom.acehardware.com.

Ace is #1 for convenience hardware! You pay no royalty fees. Instead, Ace pays you a year-end rebate based on your annual purchases. Enjoy the benefits and collective buying power of a 10 Billion Dollar company.

## Entities

- Franchising.com (publication)
- Retail (sector)
- Ace Hardware (company)
- retail sales (topic)
- Ace Handyman Services (company)
- convention (topic)
- Universal (company)
- hardware industry (topic)
- vendor exhibits (topic)

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Originally reported by Franchising.com (https://www.franchising.com/news/20211001_ace_hardware_reports_overwhelming_success_at_fall_2021_convention.html). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/51af9ec0-1c0f-4685-998b-7d7ca8abc585).