Ace Expands Wholesale Business to Serve Non-Ace Retailers

Ace Hardware Corp. today announced that its wholesale distribution network has expanded coast to coast with the launch of a new distribution arm.

The new wholesale company, Emery Jensen Distribution, fits like a wholesale puzzle piece in mid-America for Ace, which bought distribution companies on the East and West coasts within the past two years.  The two companies, Emery-Waterhouse and Jensen Distribution Services, serve opposite sides of the country. The new Emery Jensen offers services in between.

Check out Hardware Retailing‘s exclusive Q&A with Hoyoung Pak, president of Ace Wholesale Holdings.

The new division, Emery Jensen Distribution, LLC, operates under Ace Wholesale Holdings LLC, a subsidiary of Ace Hardware Corporation, and is dedicated to serving independent, non-Ace Hardware retailers.

Ace formed Emery Jensen Distribution after acquiring The Emery-Waterhouse Company in February 2014 and Jensen Distribution Services in January 2015. Both Emery-Waterhouse and Jensen will continue to operate independently under the Ace Wholesale Holdings umbrella at this time, according to Ace Hardware.

Emery Jensen will service key national accounts and retailers in the geographic region of the country not covered by the two acquisitions. The new division will allow Ace Wholesale Holdings to reach more independent retailers throughout the country.

Since its inception in June, Emery Jensen Distribution has gained close to 100 customers with a projection of 2,000 retailers by the end of 2016.

“More important than growth is ensuring we’re serving our independent retailers well. We’re focusing the majority of our efforts this year on setting a strong foundation, including technology,” says Hoyoung Pak, president of Ace Wholesale Holdings. “This entails a state-of-the-art ordering portal, operations to handle various order sizes, opening up access to 75,000 SKUs for our customers and training our customer service team.”

Emery Jensen Distribution customers get transparent, easy-to-understand program and pricing, according to the company.

“Retailers have a ton on their plates serving customers and dealing with competitors. The last thing they need is a complex program,” Pak says. “We won’t do things like add an artificial 5 percent inflator on products only to pay it back at year end as a disguised rebate if retailers jump through hoops. We offer competitive prices tiered based on spend levels and charge market going delivery rates. That’s it. There are no start-up fees or annual dues of any sort.”

Beyond program and pricing, other benefits include:

• Access to 75,000 locally-relevant products across numerous categories including hardware, lawn and garden, housewares, automotive, pet, toys, camping and home improvement
• Best-in-class services levels in the range of 97 percent fill rates
• Access to Ace Hardware shows and deals