Fall 2025 Ace Convention Opens With General Session Focused on Growth, Customer Service

With an eye on growth and a focus on serving customers, plus a fireside chat with Ace Hardware president and CEO John Venhuizen, the 2025 Fall Ace Convention General Session gave retailers a look at the company’s priorities throughout the rest of the year and beyond. 

Drawing parallels between the difficulties of being a farmer and being an Ace retailer, Ace Hardware John Surane, EVP, chief growth officer, kicked off the General Session.

“It’s a beautiful synergy between the farming profession and being a great Ace retailer because both are difficult,” Surane says. “The odds are usually set against both farmers and retailers, but the purpose is there as well. Both share a purpose-driven, noble pursuit.”

In order to overcome the challenges of being a retailer, Surane says that growth is the key differentiator and leverage needed to drive profit and loss statements to profitability. He reflected on how Ace’s store model has been a healthy one in the last 12 years, with total revenues moving from $4.2 billion to $9.5 billion, retail sales increasing $12.1 billion to $23 billion and a global store count increase of over 1,150. 

“But we have some measures that aren’t so hot and some serious signs of stagnation that we have to confront,” Surane says. “Which is why we’ll be focusing on growing retail sales through the equation of traffic times conversion times average. We want to cast a wider net, drive a sales culture in all stores and increase units per transactions through best brands.”

Sharing several recent consumer shopping trends and online habits, Andy Enright, SVP of retail strategy and operations, talked about the importance of customers in the retail equation and meeting them where they are and how they want to shop. According to the data Enright shared, the average U.S. household receives 170 products each year at their doorstep, and 12% of those products are done same-day. 

“This has become a consumer expectation, convenience has changed and now means speed,” Enright says. “We have to leverage our inventory and digital tools, our people and most importantly our targeting and geographic advantage, so that we can be faster than our competition.”

Looking at Ace’s stats for online purchases, Acehardware.com sales are up 27% YTD and Buy Online Deliver From Store sales are up 41%. Like with sales growth, while those numbers are encouraging, there is room for improvement, Enright says. He shared that only 70% of customers visiting Acehardware.com can get delivery from store, only 9% of Ace Rewards members are active on the app and only 24% of Ace stores are on the DoorDash Marketplace. 

“Retail is not just a physical thing. Your store is seen by hundreds, but your digital shelf can be seen by thousands,” Enright says. “We have to make sure we have the right assortment in our stores while making sure we’re offering convenience that is not just speed, but availability and speed. If we’re fast, but consumers don’t know we carry it, it doesn’t matter.”

Enright also dove deeper into the new Surprise and Delight Moments program, which will elevate customer experience, drive brand loyalty and differentiate against the competition and empower associates to boost morale. 

“When you combine the right mindset with the right moment, magic happens,” Enright says. “People are craving a positive human connection. We have an opportunity now, more than ever, to differentiate with service. Because positive human connection is what Ace does best. At Ace, our entire purpose is to serve others. So in today’s world, where people are starved for service, let’s continue to be the light.”

During the fireside chat, Kim Lefko, SVP, chief marketing officer, interviewed president and CEO John Venhuizen. First, Venhuizen addressed how retailers who are following Ace’s Higher Ground playbook and putting in the work but are still not seeing improved profit and loss statements can increase the bottom line.

“I talk about it all the time, but Ace Pinnacle stores continue to outperform, they’re growing and they’re up. Our new, immersive and experiential store format, Elevate3 Ace, is worth it. Stores with Elevate3 Ace are up 12% higher than their territory,” Venhuizen says. “We also have to ensure that we are optimizing our labor and looking at the small ways to save money. We have a booth here called Saving Source, where you can look at your internet, your garbage and many other areas where you can save money.” 

Venhuizen also shared his thoughts on AI, saying he is “wildly bullish” about this technology and its benefits and provided examples of the ways Ace is currently utilizing AI. 

Wrapping up the general session, Venhuizen left retailers with some food for thought and encouragement moving forward. 

“In the end, we exist to serve others. Let’s resist following the tide where everybody’s going,” Venhuizen says. “In a world that is increasingly fascinated with technical, impersonal, artificial, faceless interaction, let’s bet the farm on what we know is the timeless truth—that our servant hearts and human connection will always have the potential to stir the soul. It’s not just great for business, but it’s great for society.”