Ace Hardware 2013 Annual Report Download - page 11

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THE FUTURE
OF PAINT AT ACE
The Paint Studio™—the largest launch in the history
of Ace Hardware
By reinventing paint departments
across America, Ace is helping retailers
strengthen one of their best-performing
categories. The Paint Studio™ delivers an amazing
customer experience—one that delights retailers
and consumers alike. In an innovative move,
Ace partnered with Valspar® to create The
Paint Studio™, a unique, boutique-style
store-within-a-store.
Ace’s partnership with Valspar began in early
2013. As part of this 20-year strategic alliance,
Valspar agreed to manufacture and supply
Ace-branded paint products to Ace retailers
while acquiring Ace’s paint manufacturing
assets, including two manufacturing facilities
near Chicago. The decision to sell these
facilities was thought through carefully. As John
Surane, executive vice president, marketing,
merchandising, and sales for Ace, notes, “The
Ace paint division served Ace very well for more
than 25 years. It was a profitable entity that
made quality products for our retailers, and
there was no problem with it. But strategically, to
win in the incredibly competitive paint category,
the best thing to do long-term was to partner
with a highly reputable organization like Valspar,
a leading brand in the market with world-class
R&D and manufacturing capabilities.”
More than 3,000 stores have signed up
to refresh their paint departments by May
1, 2014. The new format includes many
aesthetic updates: new color chip racks with
large selections of colors alongside curated
collections and boutique drawers offering
creative project suggestions and style ideas.
There will be expanded assortments of Valspar®-
branded paints, designed to target a diverse
customer base. The Clark+Kensington® line, which
continues to gain momentum, will be prominently
featured and will remain an important piece of
Ace’s ongoing paint strategy.
Both Valspar® and Clark+Kensington® paints
can be custom-tinted with the help of the Novo-
Color® HP water-based colorant system, another
new feature of The Paint Studio™ rollout. Retailers
will no longer need to invest in multiple colorant
systems, and store associates will now have to
learn only one system for tinting paints.
With these exciting new developments, Ace
will remain supportive of those retailers who
continue to carry the Benjamin Moore brand.
“Our job is to support the stores with the brands
and products they need in their local markets,”
Surane says. “Benjamin Moore is important to
some Ace retailers, and we respect that.”
The Paint Studio™ comes with a complete
training program designed to create expert sales
associates who are knowledgeable about both
products and projects. A special training force
called “The Color Crew” consists of 50 Ace paint
professionals who will assist retailers and their
employees during the rollout phase and beyond.
Ace believes that The Paint Studio™ provides
both a tremendous growth opportunity for
retailers and an even more amazing
experience for their customers.
ACE HARDWARE 2013 ANNUAL REPORT
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