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Ace Hardware’s retail media network RedVest Media, launched a year ago, has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales and signed more than 100 vendors. The company recently expanded the program with social, influencer, weather-triggered and DoorDash advertising, plus new measurement tools.
Ace Hardware’s retail media network RedVest Media has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales in its first year, and the vendor-funded program is expanding with new advertising formats designed to push more business through the cooperative’s locally owned stores. More than 100 vendors have joined since the network launched in fall 2025, according to Molly Hjelm, corporate vice president and head of RedVest Media.
Ace introduced RedVest Media to its vendor community at the 2025 Ace Fall Convention in Chicago before formally launching the network days later. Speaking with Hardware Retailing on the heels of the 2026 Ace Fall Convention in Orlando, Hjelm described how the network has developed and what it means for Ace retailers.
The program gives vendors a centralized way to advertise products through Ace’s digital ecosystem while using Ace Rewards data to measure whether customers exposed to those messages ultimately make purchases. The ecosystem includes advertising on Acehardware.com, email and push messaging, and offsite display, video, connected TV and mobile advertising.
RedVest is funded entirely by participating vendors, which use the network to promote products sold through Ace. For individual retailers, there is no campaign to build or advertising buy to manage — the store-level benefit comes when vendor-funded marketing increases awareness of products available through Ace and converts that interest into purchases through local stores. “With RedVest, all of our retailers benefit from an influx of marketing, driving awareness and foot traffic to their stores as a result of vendors investing to message their products,” Hjelm said.
Over the summer, following vendor feedback, Ace expanded the network’s capabilities. Additions announced at RedVest’s inaugural Upfront event in August included social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic advertising and advertising within Ace’s storefront on DoorDash. The weather capability lets ads respond to local rainfall or snowfall, promoting products when conditions create a timely household or project need. DoorDash extends reach to shoppers who had not previously visited an Ace store, including customers with immediate needs such as propane or firewood.
What the Network Means for Local Stores
RedVest addresses a structural challenge created by Ace’s cooperative model. A vendor seeking visibility across thousands of independently owned stores traditionally worked through buying shows, corporate promotional opportunities and individual retailer relationships. RedVest adds a centralized option for reaching known Ace customers across roughly 5,300 stores. “RedVest streamlines the process for brands to communicate with Ace customers and retailers at scale,” Hjelm said. “Navigating a 5,300-store co-op has its challenges.”
For retailers, the appeal is vendor-funded marketing that requires no local budget or execution. The network also serves different vendor objectives — building awareness for new products, increasing visibility for established lines, improving conversion on core categories, or helping customers discover products on Ace’s digital shelf. A feature called RetailerReach lets eligible vendors communicate directly with Ace and Emery Jensen retailers through retailer-facing banners, emails and educational content, giving manufacturers another avenue to build store-level distribution.
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From Chicago Launch to Orlando Milestone
Ace first pitched RedVest Media to its vendor community at the 2025 Ace Fall Convention in Chicago, launching the network shortly afterward. The program marked the co-op’s entry into retail media, a category where major retailers monetize their digital properties and customer data by selling advertising to product vendors.
A year later, the network has added measurement features modeled on industry practice. Ace Rewards, the co-op’s loyalty program, provides the basis for closed-loop measurement — connecting ad exposure to a subsequent purchase rather than judging campaigns by impressions or clicks. “Our Ace Rewards loyalty program is at the heart of our ability to connect the dots between advertising exposure and purchase,” Hjelm said. “We have real-time vendor-facing reporting that allows the advertiser and Ace to see sales from customers exposed to the media.”
Vendors can now examine return on advertising spend and total sales impact, identify the percentage of converted customers who are new to their brand, and compare performance across products, placements and creative approaches. RedVest has also added incrementality measurement for offsite advertising, designed to determine whether a campaign produced additional sales that likely would not have occurred without it.
“With RedVest, all of our retailers benefit from an influx of marketing, driving awareness and foot traffic to their stores as a result of vendors investing to message their products.”
— Molly Hjelm, corporate vice president and head of RedVest Media
Unanswered Questions in the Growth Story
The $100 million figure represents retail sales “influenced” by the network, as reported by Ace; the company has not published the methodology behind that attribution or how much vendors have spent on the program. RedVest’s revenue contribution to Ace Hardware Corporation is not disclosed.
Hjelm outlined a three-year goal for the network, but the source material does not detail the specific targets. It is also unclear how many of the co-op’s retailers have seen measurable sales lift attributable to RedVest campaigns, or how the new weather-triggered and DoorDash capabilities are performing since their August introduction.
Where RedVest Heads in Year Two
Hjelm said RedVest’s expansion will continue to be guided by vendor feedback and by reaching Ace customers where they spend their time. Over the next three years, she said, the goal is continued growth for the network, building on the more than 100 vendors already participating.
The newly added formats — social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic advertising and DoorDash storefront placements — will likely be evaluated through the network’s expanded measurement tools, including incrementality reporting, as vendors decide where to place future advertising dollars.
Key Questions
What is RedVest Media?
RedVest Media is Ace Hardware’s vendor-funded retail media network, launched in fall 2025. It lets vendors advertise products across Ace’s digital ecosystem — Acehardware.com, email, push messaging, offsite display, video, connected TV, mobile and, more recently, social, influencer and DoorDash placements.
Do Ace retailers pay to participate in RedVest?
No. The program is funded by participating vendors. Individual Ace retailers build no campaign and manage no advertising buy; the store-level benefit comes when vendor-funded marketing drives awareness and purchases through local stores.
How does Ace measure whether the advertising works?
Ace uses its Ace Rewards loyalty data for closed-loop measurement, connecting ad exposure to subsequent purchases. Vendors can also see return on advertising spend, total sales impact, new-brand customer percentages and incrementality measurement for offsite campaigns.
What new capabilities were added in 2026?
Announced at RedVest’s inaugural Upfront event in August, the additions include social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic advertising that responds to local conditions like rain or snow, and advertising within Ace’s storefront on DoorDash.
What does the $100 million figure mean?
According to Ace, RedVest Media has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales in its first year. Ace has not published the detailed methodology behind that attribution figure.
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