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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 vendor-funded program added social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered ads, DoorDash storefront advertising, and incrementality measurement following vendor feedback.
A year after its launch, Ace Hardware’s RedVest Media retail media network has influenced more than $100 million in Ace retail sales, and the vendor-funded program is expanding with new advertising channels aimed at driving business to the cooperative’s locally owned stores, 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 and formally launched the network days later. Speaking with Hardware Retailing’s parent organization NHPA on the heels of the 2026 Ace Fall Convention in Orlando, Hjelm said more than 100 vendors have joined the network since launch. The figure of more than $100 million in influenced retail sales is attributed to the company.
The program gives vendors a centralized way to advertise products across 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 helps convert that interest into local purchases.
What the $100 Million Means for Local Stores
The program matters to Ace’s roughly 5,300 independent store owners because it delivers vendor-funded marketing they do not have to pay for or administer. Hjelm said all retailers benefit from an influx of marketing that drives awareness and foot traffic as a result of vendors investing to message their products.
RedVest also 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 promotions and individual retailer relationships. RedVest adds a centralized option, which Hjelm said streamlines the process for brands to communicate with Ace customers and retailers at scale.
The network’s RetailerReach capability also lets eligible vendors reach Ace and Emery Jensen retailers through retailer-facing banners, emails and educational content, giving manufacturers another avenue to build store-level product distribution.
From 2025 Launch to Summer Expansion
Ace unveiled RedVest Media at the 2025 Ace Fall Convention in Chicago before formally launching it days later. The network spent its first year recruiting vendors and building closed-loop measurement powered by the Ace Rewards loyalty program, which links advertising exposure to subsequent purchase rather than judging campaigns only by impressions or clicks.
This summer, following feedback from participating vendors, Ace expanded RedVest’s capabilities. Additions announced at the network’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 allows advertising to respond to local conditions such as rainfall or snowfall, promoting products when weather creates a timely household or project need. The DoorDash placement reaches a different customer segment — shoppers who had not previously visited an Ace store, including those with immediate needs such as propane or firewood.
“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
What the Sales Figure Does and Doesn’t Show
The $100 million figure represents sales influenced by the network, as reported by Ace; it is not a breakdown of incremental revenue attributable solely to RedVest advertising, and no comparison baseline or independent verification was provided. How the influenced-sales total is calculated — such as the attribution window or exposure criteria used — was not detailed in the report.
The source article was truncated mid-sentence where Hjelm described goals for the next three years, so the specifics of RedVest’s longer-term targets are not fully known. It is also not yet clear how the newer capabilities, such as DoorDash and influencer marketing, are performing, since they launched only this summer.
Vendor Feedback to Guide Further Growth
Hjelm said RedVest’s expansion will continue to be guided by vendor feedback and by reaching Ace customers where they spend their time. Vendors on the network can now examine return on advertising spend, total sales impact, the percentage of converted customers new to their brand, and comparisons across products, placements and creative approaches.
RedVest has also added incrementality measurement for offsite advertising, designed to show whether campaigns produced sales that would not have occurred otherwise — data that will shape where vendors place future advertising dollars and how Ace evaluates whether vendor marketing translates into business across the cooperative. Hjelm pointed to a multi-year growth goal for the network, though the truncated report did not capture its full details.
Key Questions
What is RedVest Media?
It is Ace Hardware’s retail media network, launched in 2025. It lets vendors advertise products across Ace’s digital ecosystem — including Acehardware.com, email, push messaging, offsite display, video, connected TV, mobile, social and DoorDash — using Ace Rewards data to connect ad exposure with purchases.
Do Ace store owners pay to participate in RedVest Media?
No. The program is funded by participating vendors. Individual retailers do not build campaigns or manage advertising buys; the store-level benefit comes when vendor-funded marketing drives awareness and traffic that convert into local sales.
How many vendors have joined RedVest Media?
According to Molly Hjelm, head of RedVest Media, more than 100 vendors have joined the network since its launch in 2025.
What new capabilities were added in 2026?
Additions announced at the network’s inaugural Upfront event in August included social and influencer marketing, weather-triggered programmatic advertising, advertising within Ace’s DoorDash storefront, and incrementality measurement for offsite advertising.
How does RedVest measure whether advertising works?
Using the Ace Rewards loyalty program for closed-loop measurement, RedVest links ad exposure to subsequent purchase. Vendors receive real-time reporting on sales from exposed customers, return on ad spend, total sales impact, new-brand customer percentages and incrementality for offsite campaigns.
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