Content about Ray Griffith

June 19, 2013
At Golden Hammer event: 'Retail is Detail'

Las Vegas — Ray Griffith kicked off the Golden Hammer retail awards presentation with a joke: "Does everyone have an hour? I have a long speech." He got an even bigger laugh when he called out a moderator for his use of the word "entertainment" to describe the panel discussion.

But the concepts that Griffith and the other retail honorees shared during the 29th Golden Hammer Awards ceremony held here during the National Hardware Show contained a serious tone as hardware stores appear to be poised to pounce on a swelling industry recovery.

May 28, 2013
2013 Home Channel Hall of Fame induction

Ray Griffith, recently retired CEO of Ace Hardware, enters the Home Channel Hall of Fame during the Golden Hammer Awards ceremony in Las Vegas.

May 8, 2013
Retailers honored at Golden Hammer Awards

Ray Griffith, Rocky’s and Builders received Golden Hammer awards at a ceremony event in Las Vegas Wednesday morning.

May 6, 2013
Golden Hammer strikes again

Everybody loves a winner. And there will be plenty on hand for the 29th annual Golden Hammer Awards in Las Vegas May 8.

The breakfast ceremony will honor the best-of-the-best in home improvement, by revealing the Golden Hammer Vendor Award winners in 30 categories

April 5, 2013
Griffith to enter Hall of Fame in May

Ray Griffith, the recently retired CEO of Ace Hardware, will enter the Home Channel Hall of Fame during the National Hardware Show in May.

March 22, 2013
Ace Hardware revenues up 3.6% in 2012

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based co-op reported fiscal 2012 revenues of $3.8 billion along with a strong fourth quarter.

February 21, 2013
Ace show kicks off with a send-off for Griffith

New Orleans -- Ace Hardware CEO Ray Griffith, who will step down as CEO in late March, gave his last general session talk to the collected membership of the co-op.

December 27, 2012
Ace points to strategy behind Westlake purchase

Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware’s recent purchase of the 85-store Westlake Ace Hardware chain -- the co-op’s largest customer -- represented “good offense” and “good defense,” according to the co-op’s message to Ace retailers.

September 4, 2012
Ace names Venhuizen successor to Griffith

Ace Hardware president and CEO Ray Griffith announced his plans to retire from the hardware cooperative on March 31, 2013, and the company’s board of directors has named Ace’s chief operating officer John Venhuizen his successor.

Effective Sept. 1, 2012, Venhuizen assumed the role of president, while retaining his existing chief operating officer duties of Ace Hardware Corp. Griffith will maintain his role as CEO until his retirement.

August 29, 2012
In Chicago, upbeat and defiantly convenient

Rallying the troops during the Ace Fall Convention and Exhibits, chairman Dave Ziegler showed the early morning general session audience a video clip of Ace COO John Venhuizen wielding a Home Channel News magazine.

In the magazine was a quote from a Home Depot executive about leading the industry in convenience and service. Venhuizen responded by channeling defiant former NRA spokesman Charlton Heston: Ace will relinquish the title of most convenient “when they can peel it out of our cold dead hands.”

August 16, 2012
Ace’s Ray Griffith: Room for growth

Of all the statistics Ace Hardware CEO Ray Griffith presented during the co-op’s Fall Market general session, the one he seemed to be most enthusiastic about focused on simple geography.

He said about 50% of the United States population lives within three miles of an Ace store. “That means there’s plenty of room for growth,” he said.

May 8, 2012
Ace posts sales and income gains in Q1

Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Corp. posted total revenues of $908.2 million for the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 6.3% compared with 2011.

Net income was $10.2 million for the first quarter of 2012, an increase of 49.3% compared with $6.8 million in 2011.

April 16, 2012
Ace CEO gets air time on Fox

Ray Griffith, the CEO of Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware, explained during an interview on Fox Business that consumers will continue to spend on their homes.

“We had a real good first quarter, and so far it’s carrying into April,” said Griffith during a segment described by the network as “Banking on do-it-yourself.”  

March 2, 2012
For Ace, retail is increasingly local

Even before Ace Hardware Corp. reported high single-digit sales increases for the quarter and the year — and even during a lingering housing downturn — CEO Ray Griffith told dealers that he liked the position in which Ace finds itself.

“Ongoing uncertainly keeps consumers cautious about spending, but many of you are doing well,” he told the members gathered in Denver for the co-op’s market last year.

February 25, 2012
Ace sales increase for Q4 and full year

Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Corp. reported total revenues of $921.7 million for the fourth quarter, up 7.3% from the same quarter in the previous year. Net income was $19.2 million for the fourth quarter, down 6.6%.

For the full year, total revenues were up 5.1% to $3.7 billion.

February 16, 2012
Competitors unite at City of Hope event

Orlando, Fla. -- The stage of the 2012 City of Hope “Spirit of Life” event featured one brand new honoree, several more industry icons and 30 years of memories for the hardware/homebuilding group.

Convening for the good of the California-based cancer treatment and research center, executives and supporters filled a banquet room at the Rosen Plaza Hotel here on the eve of the International Builders' Show to honor the man of the hour: Ace Hardware's Ray Griffith. The president and CEO of the Oak Brook, Ill.-based hardware co-op accepted the 2012 Spirit of Life award.

January 6, 2012
Spirit of Life in Orlando

Ray Griffith will find himself in good company on Feb. 7.

The CEO of Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Corp. will share the spotlight at an Orlando, Fla., ceremony on the eve of the International Builders’ Show. Griffith will be the Spirit of Life honoree at the 30th anniversary celebration of City of Hope’s Hardware/Homebuilding Industry group.

December 20, 2011
Venhuizen promoted at Ace Hardware

Ace Hardware appointed John Venhuizen chief operating officer, effective Jan. 1, 2012.

Venhuizen has spent nearly two decades with Ace and most recently served as executive VP supply chain, information technology (IT) and international. In this position, he helped grow the number of Ace stores around the world, as well as create a variety of successful support and incentive programs for retailers.

October 15, 2011
At Ace Convention, Griffith points to sales momentum

Denver -- Ace Hardware stores are showing strong same-store sales, while the distributor's wholesale sales are running ahead of the budgeted 3% growth, CEO Ray Griffith told dealers.

Speaking Saturday morning at the General Session of the co-op's 2011 Convention & Exhibits here at the Colorado Convention Center, Griffith said data from about 3,000 Ace stores show a 2.4% comparable-store sales increase over last year. In each of the last four months, the stores showed comp-sales increases of more than 4%. 

August 31, 2011
Ace paints a picture of Q2 growth
August 10, 2011
Ace Q2 revenues increase to $1.021 billion

In a second-quarter earnings season characterized by weather-depressed sales figures, Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware Corp. managed to show a gain in revenues.

For the three months ended July 2, Ace saw revenues increase 0.5% to $1.021 billion. For the six-month period, sales increased 1.6% over the same two quarters in 2010.

June 3, 2011
For fifth-straight year, Ace leads J.D. Power list

The J.D. Power and Associates 2011 U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Store Satisfaction Study ranked Ace Hardware highest in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores. It's the fifth straight year for the recognition. 

May 2, 2011
In Chicago, a parade of programs

Chicago — Ace Hardware Corp. had some positive news to tell its members during the co-op’s Spring Convention general session. Sales were on the increase — particularly fourth-quarter sales. POS data was beginning to help retailers benchmark their performance, and a new Craftsman program was expanding that brand to smaller-format stores. 


But then there was that other thing — the company’s supply chain transition.


April 2, 2011
Ace CEO sees positive signs in economy

Chicago -- Ace Hardware Corp. CEO Ray Griffith pointed to some positive metrics that should give encouragement to hardware retailers in 2011.

Speaking during the opening general session during the Ace Convention & Exhibits here in Chicago, he said across Ace, same-store sales at retail in the month of February were up an impressive 5.8% over last year. Transactions increased "an equally impressive" 3.6%, he said. 

"We have not seen that kind of increase in over 47 months -- not since February 2007," he said.

April 1, 2011
Ace addresses 2011 strategy, supply chain

Chicago -- During a general session that included sales and marketing strategies for success, Ace Hardware Corp. executives also expressed disappointment in the co-op's wholesale performance during its recent supply-chain conversion.

They also expressed optimism that its systems have stabilized and that the transition will bear fruit in the form of sales and growth.

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