Ace’s Retail Holdings Expand to 100 Stores

Ace Retail Holdings, the division of Ace Hardware that owns and operates the Westlake Ace Hardware chain, has expanded to 100 stores.

Westlake Ace Hardware in June finalized its acquisition of two Q.P. Ace Hardware stores in the Omaha, Nebraska, area.

Westlake has been steadily expanding since Ace Hardware Corp. bought the chain in 2012. The company has grown by 15 locations in less than four years and began operating in North Carolina for the first time in 2016. The chain also has stores in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Due to the most recent acquisition, Westlake now operates 100 retail hardware locations in the U.S. The new stores, located in Ralston and Omaha, are in the process of being rebranded as Westlake Ace locations.

Personnel in the two stores will remain the same, and operations will not be affected during the transition in ownership, according to Westlake Ace. The stores will continue to sell a range of traditional hardware products, such as fasteners, tools, paint, and plumbing and electrical supplies.

Q.P. Ace Hardware will continue to own and operate four other locations in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“We are excited to deepen our roots in Nebraska and expand our relationship with the Omaha area,” Westlake CEO Tom Knox says. “A big part of our expansion strategy has been to make acquisitions that make sense for our customers and our business as a whole. The two Q.P. Ace Hardware stores are a great example of the type of businesses we consider for acquisition—deep ties within their respective communities, a tradition of outstanding customer service and dedicated and hardworking store associates.”