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Ace Hardware Corp. has hired former Home Depot executive John Sommers Jr. to serve as the co-op’s vice president of merchandising.
Sommers, who starts with Ace on July 10, is a 23-year veteran of Home Depot and has worked in a variety of positions in merchandising, store environment and new store development.
He replaces Frank Carroll at Ace, who was vice president of merchandising prior to leaving the cooperative May 12 to become CEO of manufacturer Broan-NuTone.
Most recently, Sommers was vice president of merchandising for Home Depot and was directly responsible for the flooring division. He and his team grew market share through the creation of new merchandising programs, innovative product introductions and the development of strategic vendor alliances, according to Ace.
“John is a recognized expert in the industry with a proven track record,” says John Surane, executive vice president of merchandising, retail operations, business to business and wholesale holdings at Ace. “We look forward to working together with John to further advance our merchandising efforts, ensuring we offer our store owners the best brands and lowest cost of goods, with merchandise that is differentiated and locally relevant for our customers.”
Previously, Sommers held roles throughout his career at Home Depot that gave him direct responsibility for plumbing, electrical and hardware. He also has extensive experience in new store concepts and development as well as visual merchandising, signing, fixtures and reset implementation.
