The True Value Company uses several different retail identities, including but not limited to True Value, Grand Rental Station, Party Central, and Taylor Rental, Induserve Supply, and Home & Garden Showplace.
The wholesaler supports its retailers through 13 regional distribution centers and approximately 2,500 employees in 60 countries.[1] The corporate headquarters are located in the O'Hare neighborhood of Chicago.[5]
True Value Company was originally made of four hardware cooperatives and a hardware wholesaler: American Hardware & Supply (ServiStar), Coast to Coast Corporation, Cotter & Company (True Value), and the Midwest-based Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Company.[8]
Cotter & Company was established in 1948 by John Cotter with 12 original member stores. The cooperative grew in membership and in 1962 Cotter & Company purchased the assets of Hibbard Spencer Bartlett & Company (formerly led by Adolphus C. Bartlett) for $2.5 million, acquiring the True Value trademark for $2500 as part of the acquisition.[8] ServiStar Hardware (formerly American Hardware Supply) had previously purchased Coast to Coast Hardware[8] and had renamed itself to Servistar & Coast to Coast Hardware. Their hardware stores were operating under either ServiStar or Coast to Coast retail identities. In 1997 they merged with Cotter & Company to form TruServ Corporation.[9]
During a 1999 audit, accounting irregularities of about $100 million were discovered originating from pre-merger Cotter & Company, leading to a $131 million loss that year causing the value of TruServ stock to plummet.[8] During this tumultuous period (1999–2001), a number of hardware stores chose to leave TruServ to join competing hardware cooperatives (Ace Hardware, Do It Best). TruServ Corporation brought in new management, eliminated the ServiStar and Coast to Coast brand names, and streamlined operations by closing many of the regional distribution centers. In 2006 TruServ Corporation was renamed True Value Company.
In 2018 an international private equity investment firm, ACON, purchased True Value.[7][10]
In 2019 True Value announced the opening of a new 1.4 million square foot facility servicing over 1,000 stores located in Hanover Township, Pennsylvania. It was set to open in the fall of 2019 to accommodate the new businesses it was serving after being purchased by ACON in 2018. Along with the new distribution center True Value also adopted the "hub-and-spoke" model.[11]
On November 1, 2022, True Value acquired the Agway Trademark from Agway Farm & Home Supply.[12]
General Paint & Manufacturing
True Value owns its paint manufacturing plant known as General Paint & Manufacturing (GPM) and also manufactures paint for a variety of other companies. GPM was established in 1922. The factory in Cary, Illinois, became operational in April 1976. The facility manufactures latex paints, oil based paints, stains and aerosols exceeding 7,300,000 gallons annually. GPM also manufactures a complete line of jansan/cleaning chemicals.[13]
Home & Garden Showplace
Home & Garden Showplace is the garden center store identity of the True Value Company. It was started by ServiStar to help build their lawn and garden sales. Today there are over 260 Home & Garden Showplace stores across the United States. Each store is independently owned and purchases merchandise through the True Value distribution centers and buys from many growers of plants through various True Value buying programs.
Other affiliates
Grand Rental Station, Taylor Rental, Party Central, and True Value Rental are the rental store identities of the True Value Company. Grand Rental Station, Taylor Rental, and Party Central are all standalone, independently owned franchises. In addition to True Value stores there are over 400 affiliate stores across the United States. These stores purchase merchandise both through the True Value distribution centers and directly from certain manufacturers. True Value Rental is the in-store rental program found in many True Value Hardware stores across the country.
Induserve Supply
Induserve Supply is the MRO store identity of the True Value Company. Induserve Supply is a network of independent commercial, industrial and MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Operations) suppliers, as well as many True Value retailers, providing products for small businesses, major institutions, universities, and government offices.
House brands
True Value's Green Thumb, Master Electrician, Master Plumber, Lawn Chief and Master Mechanic brands are made by many different manufacturers worldwide. They are manufactured to company specifications and are sold exclusively by True Value member stores, including True Value, Home & Garden Showplace, and other affiliates.
TruServ Canada
The roots of the Canadian affiliate TruServ Canada go back to the Stedman's chain founded in 1907 in Ontario, and the Macleod's chain of Western Canada founded in 1917. The companies merged in 1964 to form Macleod-Stedman Inc., and in 1992 Macleod-Stedman became Cotter Canada. Cotter's Canadian and US divisions changed their names to TrueServ in 1997. Since 2001, the American chain no longer owns any stake in TruServ Canada.
↑ "Terms of Use." True Value. Retrieved on January 6, 2010. "True Value Company Truevalue.com Customer Service 8600 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Chicago, IL 60631"
Distribution is the process of making a product or service available for the consumer or business user who needs it, and a distributor is a business involved in the distribution stage of the value chain. Distribution can be done directly by the producer or service provider or by using indirect channels with distributors or intermediaries. Distribution is one of the four elements of the marketing mix: the other three elements being product, pricing, and promotion.
Rona, Inc. is a Canadian retailer of home improvement and construction products and services, owned by U.S.-based private equity firm Sycamore Partners. Founded in 1939, the company operates a mixture of company-owned and franchised retailers under multiple banners, including Rona, its big box formats Rona Home & Garden, Rona+, and Réno-Dépôt, as well as smaller brands such as Rona Cashway, Moffatt & Powell and Dick's Lumber.
A retailers' cooperative is a type of cooperative which employs economies of scale on behalf of its retailer members. Retailers' cooperatives use their purchasing power to acquire discounts from manufacturers and often share marketing expenses. A retailers' cooperative is essentially a group of independently owned businesses that pool their resources to purchase in bulk, usually by establishing a central buying organization, and engage in joint promotion efforts. It is common for locally owned grocery stores, hardware stores, and pharmacies to participate in retailers' cooperatives.
Ace Hardware Corporation is an American hardware retailers' cooperative based in Oak Brook, Illinois, United States. It's the largest non-grocery retail cooperative in the United States.
A garden centre is a retail operation that sells plants and related products for the domestic garden as its primary business.
Western Auto Supply Company—known more widely as Western Auto—was a specialty retail chain of stores that supplied automobile parts and accessories operating approximately 1,200 stores across the United States.
Hardware stores, sometimes known as DIY stores, sell household hardware for home improvement including: fasteners, building materials, hand tools, power tools, keys, locks, hinges, chains, plumbing supplies, electrical supplies, cleaning products, housewares, tools, utensils, paint, and lawn and garden products directly to consumers for use at home or for business. Many hardware stores have specialty departments unique to its region or its owner's interests. These departments include hunting and fishing supplies, plants and nursery products, marine and boating supplies, pet food and supplies, farm and ranch supplies including animal feed, swimming pool chemicals, homebrewing supplies and canning supplies. The five largest hardware retailers in the world are The Home Depot, Lowe's, Kingfisher of the United Kingdom, Obi of Germany, and Leroy Merlin of France.
Ben Franklin is a chain of five and dime and arts and crafts stores found primarily in small towns throughout the United States, currently owned by Promotions Unlimited of Mount Pleasant, Wisconsin. They are organized using a franchise system, with individual stores owned by independent proprietors. It was perhaps the first retail franchise, starting in 1927. They are named after Benjamin Franklin, taking a cue in their merchandise offerings from Franklin's saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned."
Murray was an American company whose assets are now owned by Briggs & Stratton and Pon Holdings. The corporate brand is a descendant of the Murray Ohio Manufacturing Company, which manufactured bicycles and lawn and garden equipment. The company went bankrupt in 2005 selling most of its assets to Briggs & Stratton and Pacific Cycle.
United Hardware Distributing Co. is a dealer-owned corporation based in Maple Grove, Minnesota which provides distribution services for about 610 member-owned stores, the majority of which operate under the Hardware Hank trade name. In addition, the company services about 800 other stores owned by non-members. 2006 sales were $183 million. It was founded in 1945 as a furniture and hardware distributor. The furniture division was sold in 1953, and it became a dealer-owned retailers' cooperative in 1957 when majority control was assumed by a group of hardware store owners. In addition to servicing the Hardware Hank stores, United Hardware also services TrustWorthy Hardware Stores, Golden Rule Lumber Centers, and Ranch & Pet Supply stores. It is a member of the Distribution America buying group.
Gamble-Skogmo Inc. was a conglomerate of retail chains and other businesses that was headquartered in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. Business operated or franchised by Gamble-Skogmo included Gambles hardware and auto supply stores, Woman's World and Mode O'Day clothing stores, J.M. McDonald department stores, Leath Furniture stores, Tempo and Buckeye Mart Discount Stores, Howard's Brandiscount Department Stores, Rasco Variety Stores, Sarco Outlet Stores, Toy World, Rasco-Tempo, Red Owl Grocery, Snyder Drug and the Aldens mail-order company. In Canada, retail operations consisted of Macleods Hardware, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Stedmans Department Stores, based in Toronto, Ontario. Gamble-Skogmo carried a line of home appliances, including radios, televisions, refrigerators, and freezers, under the Coronado brand name.
Stedmans V&S is a Canadian variety discount department store chain.
Coop Norge is a Norwegian cooperative. It is owned by 117 local cooperatives with approximately 2 million members. The company has its headquarters in Oslo.
Fiesta Mart, L.L.C., formerly Fiesta Mart Inc., is a Latino-American supermarket chain based in Houston, Texas that was established in 1972. Fiesta Mart stores are located in Texas. The chain uses a cartoon parrot as a mascot. As of 2004 it operated 34 supermarkets in Greater Houston, 16 supermarkets in other locations in Texas, and 17 Beverage Mart liquor store locations. During the same year it had 7.5% of the grocery market share in Greater Houston. Many of its stores were located in Hispanic neighborhoods and other minority neighborhoods.
Beaver Lumber was a Canadian building supply chain owned by Molson. It was once Canada's fourth largest building supply chain with 138 stores. In 2000 it was purchased by Home Hardware, a cooperative of over 1000 independent Canadian hardware stores. Beaver Lumber stores were rebranded as Home Building Centres.
A marketing channel consists of the people, organizations, and activities necessary to transfer the ownership of goods from the point of production to the point of consumption. It is the way products get to the end-user, the consumer; and is also known as a distribution channel. A marketing channel is a useful tool for management, and is crucial to creating an effective and well-planned marketing strategy.
Metcash Limited is an Australian wholesaler and conglomerate company that distributes food, liquor and hardware. The company is headquartered in Macquarie Park, NSW.
The retail format influences the consumer's store choice and addresses the consumer's expectations. At its most basic level, a retail format is a simple marketplace, that is; a location where goods and services are exchanged. In some parts of the world, the retail sector is still dominated by small family-run stores, but large retail chains are increasingly dominating the sector, because they can exert considerable buying power and pass on the savings in the form of lower prices. Many of these large retail chains also produce their own private labels which compete alongside manufacturer brands. Considerable consolidation of retail stores has changed the retail landscape, transferring power away from wholesalers and into the hands of the large retail chains.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
US$1.488 billion (2017) [3] 
US$ 40.16 million (2017)
