Content about Geography of Illinois

A list compiled by 24/7 Wall St., based on both shareholder and consumer satisfaction, placed Sears in ninth place on the Ten Most Hated Companies in America. The Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based company was one of two retailers – the other being Best Buy at no. 6 – that made the publication’s list. Facebook ranked first on the list, followed by American Airlines and AT&T.

According to an article in Canadian Business, Sears Canada laid off about 70 employees from its Toronto headquarters.

Sears Canada is 92% owned by Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears Holdings, which reported a widened net loss in its recent third-quarter earnings report. Sears Canada comps declined 7.8% in the third quarter.

Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Co. will unveil its new live goods program in Denver during its Fall Convention & Exhibits Oct. 15 to 17. 

The live goods program was tested at some Northeast retailers with strong results, according to Ace. The new program includes a partnership with BloomIQ.com, offering personalized garden planning tools for customers.

The live goods program is launching nationally in 2012.

An article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that Sears officials were scouting sites in Ohio for a possible headquarters move.

Although the Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based retailer is considering a headquarters move, no decision to move has been made. Candidates are sites in Ohio and Texas. 

Ace Hardware Corp. said it is continuing to power up its tool department, and Craftsman continues to play a major role -- even as the Sears brand tests the water in other retail outlets.

As the exclusive outlet of Craftsman products in the convenience hardware industry, Ace said it is expecting more of its stores to offer more Craftsman products in the coming months.

Hoffman Estates, Ill.-based Sears Holdings Corp. is no longer considering Ohio for a possible headquarters move, according to a report from Crain's Chicago Business.

For the fourth year in a row, the Ace Foundation's "Motorcycle Miracle Mission" is hitting the road to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.

The event generated $100,000 for the cause in the last three years. Riders will travel the 600-mile route from Oak Brook, Ill. -- headquarters of Ace Hardware -- to Marshfield, Wis., and back July 22-24.

Deerfield, Ill.-based Fortune Brands announced that its Fortune Brands Home & Security business has filed an initial Form 10 Registration Statement with the Securities & Exchange Commission in connection with its proposed spinoff from Fortune Brands.  

The spinoff is part of the company’s proposed plan to separate its three businesses by spinning off Home & Security in a tax-free transaction, selling or spinning off its Acushnet golf business, and remaining a pure-play spirits company to be named Beam. 

Power Equipment Direct, an Internet-only retailer with nine e-commerce sites, has opened its first bricks-and-mortar store -- right down the street from Home Dept, Lowe’s and Sears. According to an article in Internet Retailer, the Bolingbrook, Ill., location, a suburb of Chicago, is adjacent to one of the company’s warehouses, allowing immediate fulfillment of most orders. 

Dorvin Lively is the newest member of Ace Hardware Corp.’s upper-echelon management team — the Ace CFO hired three years ago was promoted to executive VP in January 2011. 


Lively talked to Home Channel News about the co-op’s role as a growth engine, and the independent retailer’s fastest routes to high performance. He offers a credible vantage point, and brings a background equally fluent in retail shelves and balance sheets. 


Former Ace Hardware buyer Michael Ross, 51, died unexpectedly on Feb. 13 after a long period of rehabilitation following a motorcycle accident nearly 20 years ago, according to a notice in the Chicago Tribune. 

Ross grew up in Skokie, Ill. He is survived by his brother, Harry Ross.