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Ace Hardware says its vendor-funded RedVest Media network has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales in its first year. More than 100 vendors have joined, and the company has added advertising options and measurement tools, though the report does not specify the period or method behind the sales figure.
Ace Hardware says its year-old RedVest Media network has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales, as the retailer cooperative expands the vendor-funded advertising program and adds ways to measure campaign performance. More than 100 vendors have joined since the network launched, according to Molly Hjelm, Ace’s corporate vice president and head of RedVest Media.
RedVest gives vendors a centralized way to advertise products sold through Ace across the company’s digital ecosystem. Placements include Acehardware.com, email and push messages, as well as offsite display, video, connected TV and mobile advertising. Ace Rewards data allows the company and participating vendors to connect ad exposure with later purchases, Hjelm told Hardware Retailing.
The program is funded by participating vendors. Individual Ace retailers do not have to build campaigns or manage advertising buys, according to the report. Ace says stores may benefit if vendor marketing raises awareness of products available through the cooperative and leads to purchases at local stores.
New capabilities announced this year include social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic advertising and ads in Ace’s DoorDash storefront. RedVest also offers RetailerReach, which lets eligible vendors send retailer-facing banners, emails and educational content to Ace and Emery Jensen retailers.
A Central Route to Ace Shoppers
RedVest offers manufacturers a way to reach customers across a cooperative made up of thousands of independently owned stores. Hjelm said the network streamlines communication with Ace customers and retailers at scale, citing the challenges of working across a 5,300-store cooperative.
For vendors, the network’s reported sales influence and campaign reporting may inform decisions about advertising budgets and product promotion. For Ace retailers, the potential benefit is additional customer awareness and purchases driven by marketing paid for by vendors. The report does not break out how much of the cited sales total went to individual stores or how the impact was distributed.
Weather-based advertising can connect campaigns with local conditions such as rain or snow, when customers may have an immediate project or household need. DoorDash placements give vendors another route to shoppers ordering Ace products for delivery, including customers who may not have recently shopped in a store.
How RedVest Reached Its First Year
Ace introduced RedVest to its vendor community at the 2025 Ace Fall Convention in Chicago and formally launched the network days later. The latest account followed the 2026 convention in Orlando and a summer expansion of the program. Ace presented further additions at its first RedVest Upfront event in August, according to Hardware Retailing.
The network addresses a specific feature of Ace’s business: its stores are independently owned, while vendors may seek to promote products across the cooperative. Before RedVest, brands could work through buying shows, corporate promotions and individual retailer relationships. The network adds a centralized advertising option spanning Ace’s digital channels and, through RetailerReach, retailer-facing communications.
Ace Rewards is central to RedVest’s measurement approach. The loyalty program can link advertising exposure to subsequent purchases by participating customers, which Ace describes as closed-loop measurement. The company says vendors can review sales associated with exposed customers, return on advertising spend, total sales impact, new-to-brand conversions and differences by product, placement or creative.
““Our Ace Rewards loyalty program is at the heart of our ability to connect the dots between advertising exposure and purchase.””
— Molly Hjelm, Ace corporate vice president and head of RedVest Media
What the Sales Figure Shows
The report does not specify the time window, calculation method or comparison baseline for the claim that RedVest has influenced more than $100 million in sales. It also does not provide a breakdown of sales by advertising channel, vendor, store or customer group. The figure is attributed to Ace’s account of the network’s performance and should not be read as a separately verified measure of incremental sales.
Ace says RedVest has added incrementality measurement for offsite advertising, designed to estimate sales that might not have happened without a campaign. The report does not provide results from that analysis, explain its methodology or quantify the additional sales identified. It also does not state the specific target Hjelm described for RedVest over the next three years.
Vendor Feedback Shapes Expansion
Hjelm said RedVest’s expansion will continue to be guided by vendor feedback and by efforts to reach Ace customers where they spend time. The report describes plans as an ongoing direction rather than naming a specific launch date for another feature.
Further reporting on the network’s development may clarify how the new placements perform, how Ace calculates sales influence and what goals it has set for the next three years. Ace and vendors can also use the expanded measurement options to compare products, placements and creative approaches as campaigns continue.
Key Questions
What is Ace Hardware’s RedVest Media?
RedVest Media is Ace’s vendor-funded advertising network. It lets participating brands promote products sold through Ace across digital channels and retailer-facing communications.
How much sales has RedVest Media influenced?
Ace says RedVest has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales during its first year. The report does not state the calculation method or the exact period covered by that figure.
Do Ace store owners have to manage RedVest campaigns?
According to the report, individual retailers do not have to build RedVest campaigns or manage advertising purchases. Participating vendors fund the advertising, while stores may benefit if it leads to customer purchases.
How does Ace measure whether ads lead to purchases?
Ace says it uses Ace Rewards data to connect ad exposure with subsequent purchases. The network also offers reporting on sales impact and return on advertising spend, and has added incrementality measurement for offsite advertising.
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