• May 21, 2010

For the fourth year going, Ace Hardware has taken first place in J.D. Power and Associates U.S. Home Improvement Retailer Satisfaction Study, with big-box rival Lowe's coming in second place.

The survey, based on merchandise; price; sales and promotions; staff and service; and store facility, ranked Menards, third, followed by Sears, The Home Depot, and True Value. The study reports that 62% of customers say they asked a store employee for help during their last visit to their primary home improvement retailer, up from 51% in 2009.

And of those, 98%, "a particularly high proportion," the company says, "received the help they needed when they asked for assistance."--Sarah Mahoney