Ace to roll out YardRx
Promoting a new lawn-care service, Oak Brook, Illinois-based Ace Hardware Corp. is claiming the title of “Official Yard Care Sponsor of Groundhog Day.”
The Feb. 2 holiday will mark the launch of Ace YardRx, described by the co-op as a brand-new subscription service delivering personalized yard care solutions to homeowners nationwide.
Ace unveiled the idea of a subscription-based yard service back during its fall convention in 2023. At the time, CEO John Venhuizen said the concept could bring a boost for lawn and garden category, similar to how an assembly-and-delivery program boosted the co-op's backyard BBQ category.
The lawn-and-garden category accounts for about $2.5 billion annually for the co-op. It's massive, but it's also challenged by the limitations of weather. And there's a long list of competitors selling similar products, making differentiation difficult. At the 2023 convention, the CEO said Scotts, which accounts for 60 percent of the category's sales, is a supplier that's available at virtually every retail competitor.
The prescription for growth in lawn and garden, the CEO said at the time, is to differentiate Ace’s service by providing a recommended, personalized yard solution to the customer’s door step, when the customer needs it. The plan is to boost market share, because all the lawn products would come from Ace. And it would boost sales, as all the products would be purchased together and upfront.
Ace YardRx will launch Feb. 2 in concert with the annual Groundhog Day celebration in Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. And the hardware co-op is even bringing on Punxsutawney Phil, perhaps the world's most famous groundhog, as its “newest seasonal employee,” a spokeswoman said.
