Contact:

Christopher Boniface/ Ben Arens L.C. Williams & Associates 800/837-7123 cboniface@lcwa.com
Natalie Danaher Ace Hardware Corp. 630/990-6923 nhils@acehardware.com
ACE SENSATIONS WITH SCOTCHGARD PROTECTOR PAINT RECOGNIZED BY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING WITH GOOD BUY AWARD OAK BROOK, Ill., December 6, 2004 Ace Paints latest innovation, Ace Sensations with Scotchgard Protector, has received a Good Buy Award from Good Housekeeping and the Good Housekeeping Institute. The announcement was made at the 10th annual awards reception in New York City on Dec. 2. Each year, since the institutes 100th anniversary in 1996, the Good Buy Awards have honored groundbreaking household products based on their ingenuity, value, and exceptional performance. Ace Sensations the first premium acrylic latex flat paint with Scotchgard Protector was one of nine products recognized this year, and will be featured in Good Housekeeping magazines January 2005 issue. The Ace Hardware team is honored that Ace Sensations has earned the Good Housekeeping Institutes most prestigious award of the year, said Dick Bristol, director, Ace Paint Division. This innovative product provides an easy solution to the common household problem of walls that stain as a result of coffee and grape juice spills, pencil marks and even tough, oily spots like greasy fingerprints. We share this award equally with our partner 3M, the manufacturer of the Scotchgard brand product already used so successfully at maintaining the appearance of materials such as fabrics and floor coverings.
- MORE GOOD BUY AWARD FOR ACE SENSATIONS ADD ONE
According to national home improvement expert and Aces Helpful Hardware Man Lou Manfredini, household dirt and grime wash off easily with soap and water or an all-purpose cleaner on walls painted with Ace Sensations. If youve got kids, this paint is perfect for your home, said Manfredini. In addition to the Scotchgard Protector, this paint contains a mildewcide, so its safe to use in high moisture areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Introduced in March 2004, Ace Sensations can be custom mixed to an almost unlimited number of colors and is available exclusively at participating Ace Hardware stores for approximately $26.99 a gallon. Good Housekeepings Good Buy Awards Good Buy Award products are selected after comprehensive and stringent testing by the staff professionals at the Good Housekeeping Institute who have reviewed and tested more than 20,000 products in the past 10 years. The other eight winners from 2004 include the following: Maytags Neptune Drying Center; Procter and Gambles CoverGirl Continuous Color Nails; T-Fals Aquaspeed Iron; the Safety 1st Home Connection Monitor System; Robbie Manufacturings Hot n Handy Pouch; Energizers Quick Switch Flashlight; Tupperwares FlatOut! Containers; and the first-ever food product winner, Masterfoods USAs Uncle Bens Ready Rice.
Ace Hardware Ace Hardware Corp. is the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the industry and celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2004. Aces annual retail sales from its more than 4,800 hardware, home center and lumber and building materials retailers top $13 billion. - MORE GOOD BUY AWARD FOR ACE SENSATIONS ADD TWO

Headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., Ace currently operates 15 distribution centers in the United States and has stores located in all 50 states and 70 countries. More information on Ace can be found at www.acehardware.com. ### 12/04