Ace Hardware Is Using AI To Make Store Associates Smarter: Here’s How

BusinessRetailAce Hardware Is Using AI To Make Store Associates Smarter: Here’s HowByShelley E. Kohan,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Shelley E. Kohan covers the retail industry and is based in New York.Follow AuthorApr 28, 2026, 08:00am EDTWith over 5,200 locations and a brand promise built on helpfulness, Ace Hardware is betting Hey ARMA can deliver the on-demand expertise today's shoppers expect.Courtesy of Ace HardwareAce Hardware has quietly deployed one of brick-and-mortar retail’s most ambitious frontline AI tools. In February 2026, the company rolled out a new AI feature which was added to a long-standing handheld device used by store associates named ARMA (ACE Retailer Mobile Assistant). The new tool, Hey ARMA with added AI features, has fielded more than 55,000 associate queries across more than 2,300 stores. “We make a promise that we're going to be the most helpful store on the planet. And to do that, you can't just be friendly. You've got to really be able to answer these questions that consumers come in with in a dizzying array of numbers. You've got to fulfill the promise, or you're a promise breaker, and promise breakers kill brands," states John Venhuizen, president and CEO of Ace Hardware Corporation in an exclusive interview. Hey ARMA gives Ace's red-vested associates instant access to product recommendations, project guidance, and aisle-level inventory data while interacting with a customers.Courtesy of Ace HardwareLocal Expertise At Scale With Hey ARMAThe rollout reflects a broader strategy that the future of independent hardware retail is not choosing between neighborhood warmth and enterprise capability but delivering on both simultaneously. As AI reshapes customer expectations across every retail channel, Ace is positioning Hey ARMA as the connective tissue between its 5,200-location footprint and the kind of on-demand expertise shoppers increasin...