Head to head · Retail / Hardware✓ VERIFIED · 2026-07-12
Ace Hardware vs Century 21: units, growth & AI adoption
Century 21 leads on AI adoption (60/100 vs 57/100), while Century 21 is the larger system by unit count (14,000 offices vs 5,900+). Ace Hardware is growing faster year-over-year (+2.6%). Data verified Q3 2026.
| Metric | Ace Hardware | Century 21 |
|---|---|---|
| Sector | Retail / Hardware | Real Estate |
| Headquarters | USA | USA |
| Units (approx.) | 5,900+ | 14,000 offices ◂ |
| Unit growth YoY | +2.6% ◂ | +1.4% |
| AI Adoption Score | 57/100 | 60/100 ◂ |
| Operations AI | 60 ◂ | 52 |
| Marketing AI | 54 | 70 ◂ |
| Training AI | 50 | 58 ◂ |
| Data infrastructure | 62 ◂ | 58 |
| Region | North America | North America |
| Index rank | #33 | #29 ◂ |
Ace Hardware
Cooperative retail model with strong APAC licensing; AI in assortment planning and inventory optimization at the wholesale level.
FULL ACE HARDWARE PROFILE →Century 21
Anywhere-owned brokerage franchise; AI listing tools and lead routing provided at platform level.
FULL CENTURY 21 PROFILE →Franchise Intelligence Index
Compare every tracked system — full benchmarks, updated quarterly.
SOURCE: FRANCHISEPULSE FRANCHISE INTELLIGENCE INDEX, Q3 2026 · FREE TO CITE WITH ATTRIBUTION + LINK