"We are pleased to announce our new agreement with Epicor and the extension of our relationship," said John Venhuizen, president and chief executive officer, Ace Hardware Corporation. "Epicor is our exclusively endorsed point of sale software provider, as their Epicor Eagle system helps our locally owned and operated hardware stores deliver our unique and 'helpful' brand of service."

Hardware store owners are continuously confronted with the ever-increasing competition of "big box" retailers and an evolving retail environment. As a premier provider of hardware store software, Epicor solutions are built upon decades of industry experience that provide Ace retailers with the resources required to effectively grow their businesses. These are but a few examples of the success independent Ace Hardware store owners have achieved with Epicor solutions:

"With Epicor, I'm spending more time with my arms around my store and less time catching up and developing workarounds," said Matthew Abramsky, owner of Tony's Ace Hardware.

"Our partnership with Epicor has enabled us to take the business to the next level -- improving our inventory, giving our customers the detailed information they request, streamlining back office and front-of-store operations, and much more," said Jennifer Kelly-Heppler, office manager at Ace Hardware and Outdoor Center. "Overall it has been an exceptionally beneficial use of our resources."

"I couldn't run my business without my Epicor system," said Frank Shope, owner of Hart Ace Hardware. "We can do so much more with it in a shorter amount of time with fewer people."

"Epicor makes us sharper," said Dave Sneade, president and owner of Sneade's Ace Home Center. "Our stores look fuller. There's an appearance to each store now that we have everything, which builds up the confidence level of our customers."

"Our 'customer-first' culture is the driving force behind everything we do, and the ultimate measure of our success is to see customers like Ace Hardware thrive and grow -- we've had the pleasure to partner in their success over the last 10 years," said Joe Cowan, president and chief executive officer, Epicor. "We look forward to continued joint success with Ace Hardware, enhancing the customer experience and delivering retail business management solutions that empower success for independent retailers."

For more than 90 years, Ace Hardware has been known as the place with the helpful hardware folks in thousands of neighborhoods across America, providing customers with a more personal kind of helpful. In 2015, Ace ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction among Home Improvement Retail Stores, Nine Years in a Row," according to J.D. Power. With more than 4,800 hardware stores locally owned and operated across the globe, Ace is the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world. Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace and its subsidiaries currently operate 17 distribution centers in the U.S. and also have distribution capabilities in Shanghai, China; Panama City, Panama; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Its retailers' stores are located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and approximately 60 countries. For more information on Ace, visit www.acehardware.com

Epicor Software Corporation is a global leader delivering inspired business software solutions to the manufacturing, distribution, retail and services industries. With over 40 years of experience serving small, midmarket and larger enterprises, Epicor has more than 20,000 customers in over 150 countries. Epicor enterprise resource planning (ERP), retail management software, supply chain management (SCM), and human capital management (HCM) enable companies to drive increased efficiency and improve profitability. With a history of innovation, industry expertise and passion for excellence, Epicor provides the single point of accountability that local, regional and global businesses demand. The Company's headquarters are located in Austin, Texas, with offices and affiliates worldwide. For more information, visit www.epicor.com

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