ACO Hardware: Wikis

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Aco Hardware is a Michigan hardware store with 69 stores. The headquarters and distribution warehouse is located in Farmington Hills, Michigan.

History

1946

The company starts when the Traskos brothers founded The Hardware Depot in Dearborn, Michigan, on Monroe Avenue near Outer Drive.

1956

The second store, located in Farmington, Michigan, opens as ACE Hardware Depot in an old airplane hanger.

1959

1962

1963

1965

1967

1969

1976

1981

1987

2000

2004

2005

Stores

Employees

Each store has anywhere from 10 to 40 employees. The average for most stores is around 13 employees. The number of employees each store has varies depending on store volume and can vary depending on seasonal employees.

Each store typically has three managers. There is a store manager, a 1st assistant manager, and a 2nd assistant manager. In some cases, the 2nd assistant manager may be omitted by a management trainee, or the manager duties may be assigned to a full-time department manager on a temporary basis.

Next in the hiarchy are department managers and the paint advisor, both of which are typically full-time.

Last in the hiarachy are cashiers. Most cashiers are part-time employees. New cashiers (usually high school students) typically spend most of their time working on register. Seasoned cashiers who have expierence and training typically assist customers on the floor. They also help as back-up cashiers when the store is busy.

Departments

Aco Hardware has many different departments.

Paint

Tools

Electrical

Plumbing

Hardware

Housewares

Garden

Sports

Seasonal

Treasure Hunt

Automotive

Rentals

Sundries

Food

Products

Aco Hardware carries a variety of products. Larger brand names include GE lightbulbs, 3M Filtrete furnace filters and Command hanging products, Ortho garden chemicals, Scotts fertilizer, Wooster paint brushes, Red Devil caulk, Hillman fasteners, Sterilite organizers, Cooper electrical accessories, and Oxo kitchen tools.

Some items popular with customers are paper lawn and leaf bags, Uncle Ray's Potato Chips, Sander's fudge topping and 50-cent greeting cards.

Paint

Aco Hardware carries Benjamin Moore, Laura Ashley, Glidden and Valspar paint.

Only select stores carry Benjamin Moore, Laura Ashley or Glidden paint.

All stores carry Valspar paint.

Aco started carrying Benjamin Moore paint in 2006.

NHD Hardware Acquisition

‎
In 1995, Aco Hardware bought struggling Massachusetts-based NHD Hardware for $2.14 million with intentions of turning the chain around. This made ACO/NHD the nation's largest independent hardware chain. However, Aco was unable to bring the already struggling NHD to turn a profit. Aco sold the chain in 1998 to the Ozer Group for an unknown amount.

Subsidiaries

ACE Building Company, which owns four Metro Detroit shopping centers:

Clawson Center, Clawson, Michigan

Dearborn Center, Dearborn, Michigan

Warren Center, Warren, Michigan

Westland Center, Westland, Michigan

DSA, a wholesaler to indepedent hardware retailers.

Board of Directors

Theodore N. Traskos, Chris Manos, Elaine Traskos, Mark VandenBerg, Charles Cable, William Edwards, Louis Stauber Jr., Theodore Manos Sr., Patrick Ledwidge, Teri Kurseth.