Ace Accused of Pricing Scheme
Ace Hardware has been accused of a nationwide pricing scheme in a federal lawsuit.
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On behalf of more than 5 million people who have purchased products from Ace since 2022, an Illinois resident filed the proposed class action suit.
Per the lawsuit, Ace has “abandoned its commitment to local ownership, favoring ownership by multi-store chains, private equity firms, and Ace Hardware Corporation itself.”
In addition to Ace, several subsidiaries and software provider Epicor are named as defendants.
Reuters report states that Ace and Epicor use point-of-sale software and internal pricing to collect detailed pricing and sales data from members stores. The lawsuit alleges Ace, its members and Epicor use the data to fix prices.
The complaint alleges Ace’s goal is to “boost margins and present a more consistent pricing image to consumers.” Ace also limits competition by blocking new stores from opening near existing ones.
The case is Sean Twomey v Ace Hardware Corp et al, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, No. 1:26-cv-05320.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages and a court order stopping the alleged price-fixing scheme.
Lawyers for the plaintiff said in a statement “many hardworking Americans have been overcharged for essential home items for years. We want to put a stop to that.”
Ace, operates as a cooperative owned by the local retail operators. The company reported $10 billion in revenue for 2025.
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