For stores on the block, Ace launches listing service

A new online tool from Oak Brook, Ill.-based Ace Hardware is designed to help retailers sell a hardware store or find an existing retail space.

The website -- hardwarestoresforsale.com -- launched in mid-February as a listing service for "all convenience hardware retailers, no matter their affiliation." 

“The new ‘Hardware Stores for Sale’ website provides an affordable avenue for retailers to list their businesses, as well as a vetted outlet to search for prospective growth opportunities in desired business expansion markets,” said Tom Knox VP retail and business development, Ace Hardware Corp. 

Retailers listing a store location on the site have two options: a six-month listing for $295 or a one-year listing for $495.

To protect the identity of the store, site listings are “semi-blind” with only the state, major  metropolitan area and some general information about the store displayed. Only qualified, prospective buyers are presented to owners listed on the site, according to Ace.

A second phase of the website, “the marketplace,” will launch later in the spring. The marketplace component will provide an outlet for retailers to buy and sell gently used retail equipment and fixtures at an extremely nominal price.