Ace Hardware enters marketing relationship with PGA TOUR
Retailer named “Official Hardware Store of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour”
The PGA TOUR and Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, have announced a new, multi-year marketing agreement that designates Ace as the “Official Hardware Store of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour.”
“We are extremely pleased to announce this new relationship with Ace, one of the most iconic brands in America with an award-winning reputation for helpful service, operational excellence and customer satisfaction,” said Tom Wade, PGA TOUR Chief Commercial Officer. “A large part of the PGA TOUR’s business, including the preparation and operation of tournaments and the daily operation and maintenance of our TPC facilities, ties directly to Ace’s expertise in providing quality products and helpful service. This new relationship with Ace will help us substantially with everything we do, and we see a great opportunity to benefit both parties.”
With more than 90 years of helpful service and stores in all 50 states and approximately 60 countries, Ace will work closely with the TOUR on a program whereby tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China, as well as the PGA TOUR’s TPC Network, will have the opportunity to purchase products efficiently, cost-effectively and conveniently through Ace.
“Ace is excited to partner with the PGA TOUR as part of our overall golf strategy that’s designed to speak to, and interact with, the core Ace Hardware customer, the golf enthusiast,” said John Surane, Executive Vice President, Marketing, Merchandising and Sales, Ace Hardware Corporation. “Just as we do with our customers that shop our 4,400 neighborhood stores across America, we’ll be helping the PGA TOUR take care of their ‘homes’ - the golf courses and facilities in which they operate – showcasing Ace’s helpful service and quality products in a very authentic way.”
Earlier this year, Ace announced a multi-year sponsorship of PGA TOUR member and six-time winner Hunter Mahan. Ace’s sponsorship of Mahan includes his appearance in the brand’s 2015 “Golf Swing Away” television commercial, which began airing in April to promote Ace’s Free Store Pickup program also launched nationally that month at participating Ace stores. Additionally, Mahan is wearing the Ace logo on his golf apparel during tournaments throughout the duration of the sponsorship. Ace also is airing commercials during live PGA TOUR telecasts on Golf Channel and NBC Sports, as well as during ancillary programming, in addition to having an advertising presence on PGATOUR.COM.
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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. 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 PGA TOUR
The PGA TOUR is the world’s premier membership organization for touring professional golfers, co-sanctioning more than 130 tournaments on the PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Web.com Tour, PGA TOUR Latinoamérica, PGA TOUR Canada and PGA TOUR China.
The PGA TOUR’s mission is to entertain and inspire its fans, deliver substantial value to its partners, create outlets for volunteers to give back, generate significant charitable and economic impact in the communities in which it plays, and provide financial opportunities for TOUR players.
Worldwide, PGA TOUR tournaments are broadcast to more than 1 billion households in 225 countries and territories in 32 languages. Virtually all tournaments are organized as non-profit organizations in order to maximize charitable giving. In 2014, tournaments across all Tours generated a record $140.5 million for local and national charitable organizations, after surpassing $2 billion in all-time charitable contributions early in the year.
The PGA TOUR's web site is PGATOUR.COM, the No. 1 site in golf, and the organization is headquartered in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL.
