TL;DR
Get backup power and energy gear delivered free — and shop member deals
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Access to Prime Big Deal Days deals on October 6–7
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
Ace Hardware ranked sixth on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, which assesses U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. The company reported $24 billion in retail sales in 2025 and said it opened more than 1,100 stores worldwide over five years; Ace operates as a retailer-owned cooperative rather than a conventional franchise.
Ace Hardware ranked sixth on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, an annual list of large U.S.-based franchise systems ranked by global systemwide sales. The retailer said it generated $24 billion in retail sales in 2025 and remains the highest-ranked hardware brand, highlighting the scale of its store-owner cooperative model.
Ace announced the ranking, which was reported by Hardware Retailing on October 7, 2026. The list placed Ace behind McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, KFC, Burger King and Chick-fil-A. The report did not provide the sales figures for those companies or the full ranking methodology beyond the description that it evaluates global systemwide sales.
Ace said it opened more than 1,100 stores worldwide over the past five years. That is a cumulative opening figure for the five-year period, not an annual total. The source report did not specify how many stores were open at the end of 2025 or how many were added in that year alone.
Ace’s structure differs from a standard franchise arrangement: its stores are owned by retailer-members who are also shareholders in the cooperative. The company said it distributed $392 million in patronage dividends in 2025. It also said store owners do not pay ongoing royalties or franchise fees, distinguishing its arrangement from many traditional franchise systems.
A Cooperative Among Franchise Giants
The sixth-place position puts Ace alongside some of the largest and most recognizable U.S.-based franchise systems, while the company’s cooperative structure sets it apart from many names on the list. The ranking offers a snapshot of the scale of Ace’s retail network and reported sales, rather than a direct comparison of profitability, store-level performance or the financial health of individual owners.
For Ace’s retailer-members, the distinction between a franchise and a cooperative is material. Ace says its owners hold shares and receive patronage dividends from annual profits, while paying no ongoing royalty or franchise fee. The $392 million distributed in 2025 indicates the scale of that return in that year, but does not establish how much any individual owner received or how dividends are allocated.
The ranking may also matter to suppliers, prospective store owners and the communities Ace serves because it signals the company’s reported size and continued network expansion. The figures do not, by themselves, show whether the new stores were evenly distributed across markets or how the expansion affected existing locations.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Ace Fits the Top 400
The Franchise Times Top 400 is described in the source report as an annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. Ace’s placement is therefore being presented in a franchise-ranking framework, even though Ace describes itself as a retailer-owned cooperative. The list’s title and ranking category do not mean that Ace uses the same ownership or fee structure as every other company included.
Ace’s reported $24 billion in 2025 retail sales and more than 1,100 store openings over five years provide the main scale measures cited alongside the ranking. The report does not state whether the $24 billion figure is systemwide sales calculated under the list’s exact methodology, nor does it give year-over-year sales growth, the number of current stores, or the ranking Ace held in the prior year. Those omissions limit what can be concluded about the pace of growth or the size of the change in ranking.
“Ace is proud to once again be recognized by Franchise Times as one of the largest franchise systems in the world and the only hardware brand in the top 10 on this respected list.”
— Andy Schmitt, Ace Hardware vice president of retail operations and new business
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Sales Comparisons Still Unspecified
The source report does not include the full Top 400 table, Ace’s prior-year rank, or comparable sales figures for the other companies. It is therefore unclear how much Ace’s position changed from the previous list or how close the sales totals were among the top-ranked systems. The report also does not detail the list’s calculation rules or confirm whether Ace’s stated retail-sales figure matches the ranking’s systemwide-sales measure exactly.
Other details are also not provided: Ace’s current worldwide store count, the geographic distribution of the more than 1,100 openings, and the formula used to calculate individual patronage dividends. The company’s announcement does not establish whether the expansion or sales total will continue at the same pace.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Further Ranking Details Await
The next useful benchmark will be the full Franchise Times Top 400 publication, which could provide more detail on methodology, peer sales and year-over-year placements. Ace’s future reporting on annual sales, store openings and patronage distributions will help show whether the 2025 figures represent continued growth or a change in direction. No additional ranking release or company milestone was specified in the source report.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
Key Questions
What position did Ace Hardware earn?
Ace ranked sixth on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400. The company said it was the highest-ranked hardware brand.
What does the Franchise Times Top 400 measure?
The source report describes it as an annual ranking of large U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. It does not provide further methodology details.
How much did Ace report in 2025 retail sales?
Ace reported $24 billion in retail sales in 2025. The report does not specify whether that figure uses precisely the same calculation as the list’s systemwide-sales measure.
Is Ace a traditional franchise?
Ace says it operates as a retailer-owned cooperative. Store owners are shareholders and may receive patronage dividends; the company says they pay no ongoing royalty or franchise fees.
How many stores did Ace open?
Ace said it opened more than 1,100 stores worldwide over the five years preceding the announcement. The report does not break that total down by year or region.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
