Big plus abroad

In the second half of the year Ace Hardware, an American dealer-owned cooperative with activities all over the world, increased its sales by 4.4 per cent to US $ 1.016 bn. The result for the first six months is a 1.2 per cent rate of increase to US $ 1.847 bn. The product categories that achieved the greatest amount of growth were tools, garden and electrical. Sales recorded by dealers outside the USA rose by 36.2 per cent in the second quarter, with particularly strong growth in the Middle East and South America.