Letter From Lori Bossman

Dear Ace Vendor,

Welcome to the Ace Hardware Team and congratulations on becoming one of our Authorized Vendors. Developing strong working relationships with our vendors and our dealers is the key element to retail success. As one of our authorized vendors, developing a strategy to obtain mutually agreed upon goals is vital to the growth of all parties. Maintaining high standards, working efficiently, and developing strong lines of communications will lead to continued success.

Ace Hardware Corporation, headquartered in Oak Brook, Illinois is a cooperative with over 5,100 dealers located worldwide. In conjunction with a strong United States presence, Ace dealers are represented in 62 off-shore countries.

The Ace corporate mission is to be a retail support company, providing independent Ace dealers with quality products, programs and services that focus on retail success. The philosophies of low up-front pricing and highly efficient, productive management will always guide our basic operating decisions.

We are committed to offering the best overall programs to Ace retailers. To do so, we must maintain our market share and expand it where possible by supporting our existing dealers, as well as broadening our dealer base, where appropriate.

We also are committed to understanding the dynamics of retailing, the effects of intense competition, and the importance of improving communications with Ace dealers. We are here to serve the Ace dealer, we know our success is based on our independent retailer success, and we are committed to that success.

The following pages contain basic guidelines, standards and procedures that are required of all Ace Authorized Vendors. Please read the information closely and fill out the appropriate forms as you go through this booklet. Return the completed forms to your Ace buyer for processing.

Also included is the Ace Hardware Business Conduct Policy. Ace Hardware Corporation’s most valuable assets are its employees and the principles for which they and the corporation stand. The character of our employees, together with the company’s philosophies, has earned the corporation the highest of reputations since Ace’s founding in the 1920’s.

Again, read each section completely. If you have any questions about any section, please contact your Ace buyer. Working closely with our vendors will catapult Ace Hardware into the future.

Lori Bossman