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Ace Hardware opens Stow location in former RSVP spot. Akron Beacon Journal Sept. 16, 2026, 6:05 a.m. ET After several months of seeing "Coming Soon" banners and signs, residents can now visit the Ace Hardware store at 4431 Kent Road in the Fishcreek Plaza in Stow. The store opened its doors to patrons Sept. 1, and will have grand opening events Nov. 6 through 8, stated owner Arthur Metzer. Each day during the three-day grand opening event, the store will give away a grill or a lawn mower. "The highlights of the store are all the great brands we have in stock," Metzer stated in an email. "Weber, Recteq, Traeger and Big Green Egg grills. We have a large section of Stihl, Milwaukee, Dewalt and Craftsman tools. A full line of Ben Moore paint. A section of Carhartt clothing, local Ben Heggy's chocolates and e-bikes. Services that we have include knife sharpening, lamp repair, door and window screen repair, Auto Key cutting and programming." Store hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays. For details, visit acehardware.com or call 234-233-1988. Ace Hardware has more than 5,000 stores around the world, with the majority of those stores independently owned and operated by local entrepreneurs, according to the company. earlier this month, the hardware cooperative marked its 100th new store opening of 2026 and remains on pace to open more than 170 new stores by the end of the year. The retail chain has several stores in the region, including locations in Akron, Hudson, Kent, Norton, Aurora and Medina. The new hardware store, which is 20,000 square feet, is in the former RSVP Food & Party Outlet, which closed in January. Fishcreek Plaza has seen several stores come and go, with the recent opening of Wayback Burgers and a Huntington Bank branch, and the closures of Chinese restaurant Main Moon and the plaza's anchor store, an Acme Fresh Market. Fishcreek Plaza is operated by Albrecht Inc. of Akron.

Enoch welcomes new ACE Hardware ahead of new Lin's. September 15, 2026 Associated Retail Operations (ARO) is excited to announce the opening of its newest ACE Hardware store at 4617 North Minersville Hwy, Enoch, Utah. This location is a significant milestone as the seventh ACE Hardware store owned by Associated Retail Operations and the second corporate-owned ACE Hardware location connected to Lin's Market and the first in Southern Utah. The store opened on Monday, September 14, 2026. Steve Holm, the district manager for the area, said, "I'm so excited to bring an ACE Hardware to the Enoch community. We look forward to delivering the same level of dedication and support that ACE is known for nationwide." This new store embodies ACE Hardware's commitment to providing knowledgeable and helpful service, paired with the best brands to support everyday home maintenance projects. The comprehensive product range includes paint, lawn and garden supplies, hardware, electrical, plumbing, automotive, and home décor. Garrett Stucki, the manager at ACE Price, expressed excitement about the opening, stating, "We are delighted to bring ACE Hardware's quality products and exceptional service to the Enoch community. Our mission is to provide guests with the neighborly advice and assistance they expect from ACE Hardware." The official grand opening celebration will be held on September 30 in conjunction with the neighboring Lin's Market. Activities include product giveaways, demonstrations and special promotions. Associated Retail Operations' other ACE Hardware locations are in Murray, Sandy, Draper, Olympus Hills, Pinebrook and Price. Many of AFS' independent owners also own ACE Hardware stores as they strive to fulfill the needs of their neighborhoods and communities.

Ace Hardware: 'Retaildive is in the business of building national brands' The retailer introduced new ways brands can build awareness through its retail media network at its inaugural Upfront event in Chicago. Published Sept. 8, 2026 Ace Hardware launched its retail media network with a blank slate. The hardware retailer debuted RedVest Media about a year ago as a means to give brands a targeted approach to advertising. The program has accelerated to include an expanded partnership with DoorDash, influencer marketing capabilities and weather-triggered advertising. The company that was founded in 1924 by a group of Chicago hardware store owners announced those new capabilities, along with others, at its inaugural Upfront event at Wrigley Field at the end of August. One of the retailer's goals is to build a media network that leverages its over 5,300 stores, digital network and 80 million loyalty customers. "I don't think about myself as in the business of selling a particular product," Molly Hjelm, head of RedVest Media, said in an interview with Retail Dive. "We're in the business of building national brands." Building brands. RedVest Media offers full-funnel advertising with a number of services including onsite ads, email and push messaging, in-store signage and offsite programmatic through display, video and mobile. The company has joined other hardware-focused retailers in its pursuit of brand advertising dollars. Lowe's two years ago updated its media network with new branding, more ad placements within its app and additional marketing channels, including in-store audio, email, paid search and direct mail. Home Depot introduced its retail media offering in 2018 and rebranded as Orange Apron Media in 2024. "We are not going to beat Home Depot and Lowe's on level of spend, but we will beat Home Depot and Lowe's on consistency being our superpower," Ace Hardware Chief Marketing Officer Kim Lefko said at the Chicago event. Lefko pointed to the company's brick-and-mortar network, wherein 80% of U.S. households are within 10 minutes of a store. "It's easy to get in and out and back to your project quicker than any other retail," Lefko said. She also pointed to the company's digital offering. The company's website traffic was up 26% year over year, while the retailer's app shopper visits the retailer two times more and spends two times more than other customers. But one of the most important ways Ace is differentiating itself from other retail media networks, according to Lefko, is that the company is interested in supporting brands, versus pulling info to influence its own private labels. "We die a little inside when we watch you guys go to retail partners - invest and grow in a retailer partner - that takes the insight on your product to knock off and drive private labels and wholesale products that look and feel so much like yours to benefit them and not you," Lefko said. "It kills us." New offerings. Building on an on-demand delivery partnership first announced last year with DoorDash, Ace Hardware announced a new advertising capability. Shoppers can now engage with the retailer via DoorDash sponsored ads and sponsored brands that are designed to increase product visibility and push purchase decisions while customers are building an order. The company has also introduced a means of working with Ace-vetted creators in order to reach shoppers through social media channels. Interacting with influencers is where customer trust is shifting, according to Hjelm. "We know our customers are coming into the store with an immediate project need. They need help," she said in an interview. "Watching somebody interact with a product is an amazing way to increase the likelihood of conversion." Additionally, the company is leaning into its locally owned store model to provide weather-triggered programmatic advertising. The function will help brands deliver messages when weather dictates household needs. "Ace is the place that stays open and that stocks additional product ahead of hurricanes," Hjelm said. "What we were finding from a media network standpoint is that our vendors were doing this highly manual process. And I should caveat too: We're not just talking about disaster or inclement weather. We're talking about precipitation. We're talking about snowfall. It doesn't have to be at significant levels... There are so many brands that are so highly seasonal and so highly weather dependent, and so is Ace's business." Ace is also building an audience library to connect brands with the retailer's base of DIYers and other shoppers focused on maintaining their homes.