Ace to restructure, strengthen distribution network by opening new Retail Support Center in 2018
Ace Hardware Corporation, the world’s largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative, announced today a restructuring of its east coast retail support network that will strengthen the company’s overall distribution network in anticipation of Ace’s continued record growth.
By the first quarter of 2018, Ace Hardware will open a brand new Retail Support Center in Fredericksburg, Pa. This 1.1 million square-foot distribution center will serve many Ace Hardware retail stores throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Virginia, New Jersey and Washington D.C.
Following a rigorous analysis of the company’s overall distribution network, including its wholesale division, the company has decided to consolidate its distribution efforts to ultimately strengthen the overall retail support network. As a result, Ace Hardware will close its Retail Support Center in Prince George, Va., a small crossdock in the Baltimore area, and the Emery-Waterhouse operations in Portland, Maine and Pittston, Pa.
“Ace Hardware intends to grow even more aggressively over the next several years. As a result, we are augmenting our distribution capabilities to be faster, nimbler and stronger than ever before,” said Lori Bossmann, Executive Vice President, Supply Chain, Inventory Replenishment and Retail Support, Ace Hardware Corporation. “We are grateful for the service our team members at these facilities have provided to Ace Hardware and Emery-Waterhouse, and we will work with compassion to ensure a smooth transition during this period of change,” Bossmann said.
The changes to Ace’s east coast retail support network will take place in phases over the next 24 months, with the new Retail Support Center in Fredericksburg, Pa., and existing, recently expanded facility in Wilton, N.Y., absorbing distribution operations for the region. The valued team members located at the affected facilities, many of whom are tenured, will be provided with a full range of transition services over the next two years. Relocation opportunities will also be provided to qualified team members.
The restructuring does not change Ace’s strategic direction for Emery Jensen Distribution, Ace’s national wholesale operation which encompasses Jensen Distribution on the west coast, and Emery-Waterhouse on the east coast. “Ace will continue to grow its wholesale business with streamlined distribution and even greater strength,” said Mark Spanswick, President and General Manager, Emery Jensen Distribution. “Emery Jensen Distribution remains a valuable division of Ace Hardware. We look forward to growing the business across all regions of the country.”
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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 2016, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Home Improvement Retail Stores, Ten Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 5,000 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 operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; Colon, 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 acehardware.com or the company newsroom at newsroom.acehardware.com.
