ACE HARDWARE RANKED #1 IN CATEGORY ON FORBES BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE LIST

Ace Hardware placed in top 5% of 3,000 eligible brands in the 2024 ranking from Forbes

OAK BROOK, Ill., Jan. 2, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Ace Hardware, known for excelling in customer service as "the Helpful Place," earned the highest rank in the home improvement category on the 2024 Forbes Best Customer Service List. This latest ranking adds credibility to Ace's emphasis on the importance of customer service. In 2023, Ace Hardware launched a new initiative entitled "Service So Good It's Guaranteed" to punctuate its customer service commitment and to serve as a rally cry for its employees.

To add this impressive title in the home improvement category to its already stellar record for best-in-class customer service, Ace Hardware scored among the top 5% of outstanding brands singled out by customers from over 3,000 eligible companies. Forbes, along with data analyst HundredX, calculated the rankings based on a year-long survey of 201,000 people in the US who provided 4.2 million ratings. Survey participants were asked to rate brands on four aspects of both online and in-store customer service: people, speed, services, and resolution. Based on these factors, Ace Hardware Corporation stood out for its performance, giving it an overall ranking of 33 on the Forbes list.

"It is an honor to be recognized by Forbes for our customer service," said Kim Lefko, Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer, Ace Hardware. "Our focus on our customers begins with our desire to be helpful. Our local retailers are dedicated to the communities they serve, and when customers come to our store for help on a project, they receive useful advice and products from top-quality brands with performance we stand behind."

Ace created its new Service Guarantee to give customers confidence that no matter which Ace store they visit, they will find associates personally committed to helping provide proven products and trusted advice for any home or backyard project. Similar to Ace's Extra Mile Promise for paint, Ace promises that they will help customers acquire everything they need on their first trip to Ace. If they find they are missing something, Ace will deliver it for free after the customer purchases the product.

"Our red-vested heroes set the standard for industry-leading customer service," said Lefko. "We want to make sure our customers get everything they need on their first visit to the store so they can avoid those extra trips that take away time from weekend projects. We also provide our retailers with increased training that ensures they have the products and the advice that our customers prefer and trust with every visit."

Ace pursues its best-in-class customer service strategy by continually strengthening the service and expertise of its employees through comprehensive, ongoing training programs. In 2023, all Ace associates took an additional 15 hours of customer service-oriented training to ensure even more and better personal customer help in the aisles. Together, the impact of all these initiatives helped Ace rise to the top on the Forbes Best Customer Service List.

About Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world with over 5,800 locally owned and operated hardware stores in approximately 60 countries. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries operate an expansive network of distribution centers in the U.S. and have distribution capabilities in Ningbo, China; Cuautitlán Izcalli, Mexico. Ace also owns Ace Hardware Home Services, a collection of local service companies with experienced professionals dedicated to helping homeowners complete home maintenance tasks. Since 1924, Ace has become a part of local communities around the world and known as the place with the Helpful Hardware Folks. For more information, visit acehardware.com or newsroom.acehardware.com.

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SOURCE Ace Hardware Corporation