Ace Hardware
Ace Hardware Corporation is an American hardware retailers’ cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. It is the world’s largest hardware retail cooperative, and the largest non-grocery American retail cooperative. Founded in 1924 as “Ace Stores”, the company changed its name to “Ace Hardware Corporation” in 1931. It grew dramatically following World War II, more than tripling its sales between the late 1940s and 1959. After the retirement of longtime president and founder Richard Hesse in 1973, Ace was sold to its retailers, becoming a retailer-owned cooperative.
True Value
True Value Company is an American wholesaler with over 4,500 independent retail locations worldwide. They support retailers through 13 regional distribution centers and approximately 2,500 associates in 60 countries. The corporate headquarters are located in the O’Hare neighborhood of Chicago.
Do It Best
Do it Best Corp., formerly known as Hardware Wholesalers, Inc. (HWI), is a member-owned hardware, lumber, and building materials cooperative based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Do it Best Corp. is the second-largest co-op in the industry approaching $4 billion in annual sales. Do it Best Corp. does not mandate store identities, so member-owners may or may not display the Do it Best brand name in their businesses.
Lowe’s
Lowe’s Companies, Inc., doing business as Lowe’s, is an American retail company specializing in home improvement. Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, the company operates a chain of retail stores in the United States and Canada. As of February 2021 , Lowe’s and its related businesses operates 2,197 home improvement and hardware stores in North America.
The Home Depot
The Home Depot, Inc., commonly known as Home Depot, is the largest home improvement retailer in the United States, supplying tools, construction products, and services. The company is headquartered in incorporated Cobb County, Georgia, with an Atlanta mailing address.
It operates many big-box format stores across the United States (including the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands); all 10 provinces of Canada; and the 31 Mexican states and Mexico City. MRO company Interline Brands (now The Home Depot Pro) is also owned by The Home Depot, with 70 distribution centers across the United States.