Hardware Retailing The Industry's Source for Insights and Information
Westlake Ace Hardware is continuing to grow, recently announcing plans to acquire a store near St. Louis and open a new store in Kansas.
The chain is part of Ace Retail Holdings, which is a subsidiary of Ace Hardware Corp., and is headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas. Westlake Ace has been gradually expanding under Ace Hardware’s ownership through acquisitions and new store openings.
On May 28, the chain announced plans to build a new store in Lenexa that will be Westlake’s 22nd store in the Kansas City metro area. The store is slated to open in late summer of 2021.
Earlier in May, the company confirmed plans to purchase Brandt & Sons Ace Hardware in Maryland Heights, Missouri, near St. Louis. The acquisition is expected to be finalized July 27.
“The Kansas City metro area is our home, so the opening of a new store here is always exciting for us,” says Joe Jeffries, president and CEO of Westlake Ace Hardware. “Our decision to open another store in Lenexa says a lot about the growth and vibrancy of the community, as well as the upward trajectory of the Westlake brand.”
Westlake Ace has been part of the Ace Hardware co-op since 1959. Ace Hardware Corp. acquired the chain in 2012. Westlake Ace Hardware currently owns and operates 138 stores in California, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Texas and Washington.
