Ace Hardware Celebrates Paint Studio Grand Opening With First-Ever Buy One Gallon, Get One Gallon Free Offer

OAK BROOK, IL--(Marketwired - May 14, 2014) - Today, Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry, announces an exciting Buy One Gallon, Get One Gallon Free paint offer to celebrate the grand opening of The Paint Studio at over 3,200 locally-owned Ace Hardware stores across the country. On Saturday, May 17^th and Sunday, May 18^th, consumers who stop by The Paint Studio at participating Ace stores may purchase a gallon of either Clark+Kensington^® or Valspar^® Optimus™ in the color of their choice and receive a second gallon free.* The promotion offers a savings of up to $95 when two gallons of Valspar Optimus are purchased.

"This weekend Ace Hardware is inviting millions of homeowners across America to visit their new neighborhood Paint Studio and find the color inspiration they've been looking for to complete their next painting project," said John Surane, executive vice president, marketing, merchandising, and sales for Ace Hardware. "The Buy One, Get One event is the most aggressive promotion we've ever offered, and coupled with our award-winning helpful service and new Paint Studio, finding the perfect paint color has never been easier!"

Launching nationally this month, Ace's revolutionary new paint department was designed around the insight that consumers seek a more style-inspired and personal paint shopping experience, rather than a traditional trip to the hardware store. The Paint Studio offers consumers a boutique-style experience with exclusive paint collections from Clark+Kensington^®, Valspar Optimus and Valspar^® Aspire^® displayed in unique drawers and on eye-catching racks with bright lighting and tools to make the color selection process simple. Additionally, The Paint Studio offers every shopper the opportunity to customize their experience by using an innovative new colorant system that allows paint to be custom tinted and matched to the broadest range of colors available. Combined with the helpful service and knowledgeable advice customers can expect from Ace associates, The Paint Studio provides a world-class paint experience right in consumers' neighborhood hardware stores.

Earlier this month, Ace and Valspar^® launched a revolutionary new integrated advertising campaign that uses familiar concepts from the beauty industry to introduce consumers to the new Paint Studio at Ace. Dubbed "Helpful is Beautiful," the campaign was jointly developed by Ace and Valspar with FCB Chicago and is the largest ad campaign in Ace's history.

For more information on the Paint Studio Grand Opening Event, please stop by your neighborhood Ace or visit www.thepaintstudio.com. For more information about Valspar paint at Ace, visit www.valsparpaint.com/ace.

*Buy One, Get One Free Offer Limits: Limit two free gallons per household. Free gallons must be of equal or lesser value and the same brand as purchased gallons. Offer valid at participating Ace stores Saturday, May 17^th and Sunday, May 18^th only. Store stock only. See store for details.

About Ace Hardware
For 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. With more than 4,850 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest hardware cooperative in the industry. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries currently operate 14 distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Shanghai, China; Panama City, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 60 countries. For more information on Ace, visit www.acehardware.com.