Exhibit 99.1

August 8, 2002


Securities and Exchange Commission
Jonathan G. Katz, Secretary
450 Fifth Street
Washington, DC 20549


STATEMENT UNDER OATH OF PRINCIPAL EXECUTIVE OFFICER REGARDING FACTS AND CIRCUMSTANCES RELATING TO EXCHANGE ACT FILINGS

I, David F. Hodnik, state and attest that:

(1) To the best of my knowledge, based upon a review of the covered reports of Ace
      Hardware Corporation, and, except as corrected or supplemented in a subsequent covered report:

• no covered report contained an untrue statement of a material fact as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of the date on which it was filed); and
  
  

• no covered report omitted to state a material fact necessary to make the statements in the covered report, in light of the circumstances under which they were made, not misleading as of the end of the period covered by such report (or in the case of a report on Form 8-K or definitive proxy materials, as of the date on which it was filed).
  

(2) I have reviewed the contents of this statement with the Company's Audit and
     Finance Committee.

(3) In this statement under oath, each of the following, if filed on or before the date of
      this statement, is a "covered report":

• Form 10-K of Ace Hardware Corporation for the 2001 fiscal year ended December 29, 2001 filed with the Commission;
  
  

• all reports on Form 10-Q, all reports on Form 8-K and all definitive proxy materials of Ace Hardware Corporation filed with the Commission subsequent to the filing of the Form 10-K identified above; and
  
  

• any amendments to any of the foregoing.
  
  
  
  
  
  
                                                                           Subscribed and sworn to before me
                                                                           this 8th day of August 2002.

                                                                                                          

/s/ David F. Hodnik
David F. Hodnik                                                           Sheri Cooper
President and Chief Executive Officer                            Notary Public
August 8, 2002

                                                                           My Commission Expires: April 4, 2005