TL;DR
Get cleaning gear delivered free with Prime
- Fast, free delivery on millions of items
- Prime Video, Amazon Music and more included
- Member-only deals all year
Ace Hardware said it ranked sixth on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, which ranks U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. The retailer reported $24 billion in retail sales in 2025 and said it opened more than 1,100 stores worldwide over five years.
Ace Hardware ranked sixth on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400, the company announced October 7, placing it among the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales. Ace said it was the highest-ranked hardware brand on the annual list, behind McDonald’s, 7-Eleven, KFC, Burger King and Chick-fil-A.
Ace reported $24 billion in retail sales in 2025. The company also said it added more than 1,100 stores worldwide over the five years leading up to the ranking. The source report does not provide a year-over-year sales comparison or a breakdown of the store openings by country.
The ranking is based on global systemwide sales, according to the report. It is not presented as a measure of profit, individual store performance or same-store growth. Franchise Times publishes the list annually and evaluates the largest U.S.-based franchise systems.
Ace’s model differs from a conventional franchise arrangement: it is a retailer-owned cooperative, and its store owners are shareholders. Ace said owners receive a share of annual profits through patronage dividends. In 2025, the company distributed $392 million in patronage dividends, and it said owners pay no royalty or ongoing franchise fees.
A Cooperative Among Franchise Giants
The sixth-place ranking puts Ace alongside major food and convenience-store brands in a list led by large, internationally recognized chains. For readers, the placement offers a measure of the scale of Ace’s retail network and sales, while the cooperative structure helps explain why its relationship with store owners differs from that of a typical franchise company.
The reported $392 million in patronage dividends is relevant to how Ace distributes financial returns to its owner-members. It does not, by itself, show how much any particular store received or how the amount compares with prior years. The ranking also does not establish that every location experienced the same sales or growth.
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
How Ace’s Ownership Model Works
Ace operates through a network of locally owned stores but describes itself as a retailer-owned cooperative, rather than a conventional franchise system. Store owners hold shares in the cooperative and can benefit from annual profits distributed as patronage dividends. According to Ace, they do not pay the royalties or ongoing franchise fees common to many franchise arrangements.
The company’s placement reflects the Franchise Times list’s scale-based measure: global systemwide sales. Ace’s announcement cited 2025 retail sales and five years of store openings as indicators of its size and continued expansion. Those figures provide context for the ranking, but the source report does not detail the methodology behind Ace’s individual position or provide a complete sales series.
“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
Sales Comparisons Are Not Provided
The source report gives Ace’s 2025 retail sales total and its five-year store-opening figure, but it does not provide comparable figures for earlier years. It is therefore unclear from the available information how much of the ranking reflects sales growth, store additions or other factors, and no year-over-year growth rate can be established.
The report also does not provide a detailed Franchise Times methodology, the full sales figures for other ranked systems, or a geographic breakdown of Ace’s reported sales and new stores. The ranking should not be read as a claim about profitability or the performance of individual locations.
The Next Annual Ranking
The Franchise Times Top 400 is an annual ranking, so Ace’s position may be revisited when the next list is released. The source report does not announce a separate milestone, forecast or future store-opening target. Further comparisons will depend on the next ranking and on additional sales and expansion figures from Ace.
Key Questions
What position did Ace Hardware earn?
Ace Hardware said it ranked sixth on the 2026 Franchise Times Top 400.
What does the Franchise Times Top 400 measure?
The report describes it as an annual ranking of the largest U.S.-based franchise systems by global systemwide sales.
How much did Ace report in 2025 retail sales?
Ace reported $24 billion in retail sales in 2025. The source material does not give a year-over-year comparison.
Is Ace a traditional franchise?
Ace describes its structure as a retailer-owned cooperative. Its store owners are shareholders, and Ace says they pay no royalty or ongoing franchise fees.
How much did Ace distribute to owners in 2025?
Ace said it distributed $392 million in patronage dividends in 2025. The report does not specify individual owner payments or compare the amount with earlier years.
Source: rss
Fall Picks
fall essentials
As an affiliate, we earn on qualifying purchases.
