As retailers walked the aisles of the market floor, sat in on educational sessions, met with vendors and service providers and attended the general session, a common theme running through the Fall 2025 Ace Convention was finding ways to differentiate and grow, even in challenging economic times. 

Ace retailers from around the world convened in Chicago for the three-day event, where they heard from company executives on Ace’s performance in the last few months and the priorities and focuses for the year ahead. The convention had 1,250 Ace stores registered, representing over 3,600 stores across the country, and 224 Emery Jensen Distribution (EJD) stores registered, representing nearly 1,000 locations. The convention show floor included over 1,500 vendor booths. 

During the general session, Ace Hardware execs John Surane, Andy Enright, Kim Lefko and John Venhuizen took to the stage to share updates and focuses. Ace Hardware was also named the Children’s Miracle Network Partner of the Year. Learn more about the general session here. 

As retailers look to grow sales and improve margins, the Fall Convention featured the Windy City Savings event with exclusive Day 1 “At Show Only” purchase opportunities. 

Helping retailers differentiate their businesses through niche categories, the convention spotlighted a full-size garden center on the show floor with tours, retailer panels and vendor demos. 

Celebrating its launch one year ago, ELEVATE3 Ace was back with a number of enhancements, including expanded power and barbecue brands and a pilot “Sun & Shade” department, offering premium sunglasses, lifestyle apparel, hydration products and outdoor audio equipment. Also new was a refreshed lighting aisle with adjustable white lighting in bulbs and fixtures and an Ace-exclusive Kohler faucet. Learn more about ELEVATE3 Ace here. 

Putting the Customer First

During the educational sessions, led by Ace staff members, retailers and industry partners, retailers dove into topics that included Ace Handyman Services, finding success in categories like paint, lawn and garden and operational improvements. 

Ace Hardware’s Shokofeh Khan, corporate vice president of retail learning and customer experience, and Dana Huot, director of curriculum and digital learning, shared the session Sustaining a Customer First Culture and Delivering Surprise and Delight Moments. In this session, attendees got an in-depth look at Ace’s Customer First program, which strives to continually elevate the service Ace employees provide to customers. 

“Customer First drives daily team habits to improve service consistency, leads to more customers assisted in aisle, improves units per transaction and average transaction and builds loyalty and repeat visits,” Khan says. 

According to the data Khan shared, customers who are provided with advanced help—giving advice, asking questions and offering options and additional items to complete their project—spend over $40 more per transaction than those just given basic help or provided with only a greeting. 

Alex Porter, chief operating officer of Porters Building Centers Ace Hardware with five stores in Missouri, has been utilizing the Customer First program and says that consistency is key. 

“You have to be consistent. The moment you stop being consistent, it falls apart,” Porter says. “Get in the habit first and then make the changes to make it even more effective.”

A focus of Enright’s general session was Ace’s newly launched Surprise and Delight program, which was also discussed in this session. Surprise and Delight will help retailers elevate customer experience, drive brand loyalty, differentiate against the competition and empower associates to boost morale. Key components of the program include celebrating a new baby or new home with a small gift, providing a complimentary gift with deliveries and giving out stickers to children. Another component of the program is giving employees the autonomy to hand out complimentary items up to $5. 

“We are running stores with people, and want to keep them coming back,” Porter says. “These are some easy but effective ways to do that.”

Enright says that every moment of Surprise and Delight for an Ace employee allows them to become a part of the customer’s story. 

“We have the opportunity with every single customer experience to define what that experience looks like,” Enright says. “It starts with a mindset. And when you combine the right mindset with the right moment, magic happens.”