Jensen Distribution Services

Jensen Distribution Services was a wholesale hardware distributor serving independent retailers and other customers in the western United States. Its business developed from a hardware company founded in 1883 by O.C. Jensen and Henry Brooke. Originally established as Jensen, Brooke & Company, the enterprise changed names and ownership several times as it expanded and consolidated within the regional hardware trade. Brooke sold his interest to Charles King in the nineteenth century, producing the Jensen King & Co. name, and the company later merged with Wolverton and Byrd and relocated to Spokane, Washington, where it incorporated as Jensen-King-Byrd. The Jensen family regained a controlling position in 1925, when Alvin L. Jensen and J. Scott Jensen bought out King's interest. The company was then renamed Jensen-Byrd Co. This identity remained in use for decades as the business developed its wholesale distribution operations. Jensen-Byrd expanded through acquisitions, including the Spokane branch of Marshall Wells in 1958 and Pacific Marine Schwabacher in 1981. These transactions broadened the company's regional presence and product capabilities within the hardware distribution sector. In 1995, Jensen-Byrd Co. adopted the name Jensen Distribution Services. Under that name, the distributor carried more than 52,000 items across a broad range of departments. Its assortment included household hardware, hand and power tools, electrical and plumbing supplies, paint and related sundries, outdoor-living merchandise, housewares, automotive products, and lawn-and-garden goods. The company served over 2,000 customers in 11 western states, positioning it as a regional wholesale partner rather than a consumer-facing retail brand. The company's independent existence ended in January 2015, when Ace Hardware purchased it. Ace promptly combined Jensen Distribution Services with Emery-Waterhouse to create Emery-Jensen Distribution, LLC, a division of Ace Wholesale Holdings, LLC. Operations were moved from Spokane to Ace Hardware's headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. Following that integration, Jensen Distribution Services no longer operated as a standalone company under its former name. Its historical significance lies in the continuity of a hardware-distribution enterprise from the late nineteenth century through successive name changes, acquisitions, and eventual integration into Ace Hardware's wholesale organization.

Jensen Distribution Services traced its origins to Jensen, Brooke & Company, a hardware business founded in 1883 by O.C. Jensen and Henry Brooke. The company subsequently underwent a series of ownership changes and reorganizations. After Brooke sold his interest to Charles King, the business became Jensen King & Co. in 1895. It later merged with Wolverton and Byrd and moved to Spokane, Washington, where it was incorporated as Jensen-King-Byrd. In 1925, Jensen family members Alvin L. Jensen and J. Scott Jensen bought King's interest in the company. The business adopted the name Jensen-Byrd Co., under which it continued its development as a regional hardware enterprise. Its expansion included the acquisition of the Spokane branch of Marshall Wells in 1958 and Pacific Marine Schwabacher in 1981. These acquisitions formed part of the company's effort to broaden its wholesale hardware activities and product reach. Jensen-Byrd Co. changed its name to Jensen Distribution Services in 1995. The renamed company operated as a wholesale distributor, supplying more than 2,000 customers in 11 western states. Its catalog contained over 52,000 products, spanning household hardware, hand and power tools, electrical and plumbing categories, paint and sundries, outdoor living, housewares, automotive merchandise, and lawn-and-garden products. In January 2015, Ace Hardware purchased Jensen Distribution Services. Ace then merged it with Emery-Waterhouse to form Emery-Jensen Distribution, LLC, organized as a division of Ace Wholesale Holdings, LLC. The combined operation moved from Spokane to Ace Hardware's headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. This transaction ended Jensen Distribution Services' operation as a standalone named business and incorporated its distribution activities into Ace's wholesale structure.

• 2015

  Acquired and merged into Emery-Jensen Distribution

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Ace Hardware purchased Jensen Distribution Services and merged it with Emery-Waterhouse to form Emery-Jensen Distribution, LLC. Operations moved to Oak Brook, Illinois.

• 1995

  Jensen Distribution Services name adopted

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Jensen-Byrd Co. changed its name to Jensen Distribution Services.

• 1981

  Pacific Marine Schwabacher acquired

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Jensen-Byrd Co. acquired Pacific Marine Schwabacher, expanding its business interests in the regional hardware sector.

• 1958

  Marshall Wells branch acquired

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Jensen-Byrd Co. acquired the Spokane branch of Marshall Wells.

• 1925

  Jensen family buys out King's interest

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Alvin L. Jensen and J. Scott Jensen acquired Charles King's interest and renamed the company Jensen-Byrd Co.

• 1895

  Business renamed Jensen King & Co.

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  Following Henry Brooke's sale of his interest to Charles King, the company adopted the Jensen King & Co. name.

• 1883

  Hardware business founded

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  O.C. Jensen and Henry Brooke founded Jensen, Brooke & Company, the predecessor of Jensen Distribution Services.

• Relocation and incorporation in Spokane

  [1]Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org

  After merging with Wolverton and Byrd, the business moved to Spokane and incorporated as Jensen-King-Byrd.

Regional wholesale hardware distributor serving independent retailers and other customers in the western United States.

• Hardware

  Household hardware

  A broad wholesale category covering general hardware items used in household maintenance, repair, and improvement. The category formed part of Jensen Distribution Services' large multi-department assortment supplied to customers in the western United States.

• Hand and power tools

  Tools

  Jensen Distribution Services distributed both hand tools and power tools as part of its professional and consumer hardware assortment. These products supported the needs of independent hardware retailers and their customers.

• Building supplies

  Electrical and plumbing supplies

  Electrical and plumbing products were included among the company's major wholesale departments, extending its assortment beyond general hardware into installation, repair, and maintenance categories.

• Paint and decorating supplies

  Paint and sundries

  The paint and sundries department covered paint-related merchandise and associated supplies distributed through the company's wholesale network.

• Home, automotive, and outdoor products

  Outdoor living, housewares, automotive, and lawn-and-garden products

  The assortment also included outdoor-living products, housewares, automotive merchandise, and lawn-and-garden goods. Together these categories helped make the distributor a broad-line supplier for regional hardware retailers.

• 2015

  Acquisition by Ace Hardware and merger with Emery-WaterhouseM&A

  Background

  Ace Hardware acquired Jensen Distribution Services as part of the development of its wholesale distribution operations.

  Action taken

  Ace merged Jensen Distribution Services with Emery-Waterhouse to create Emery-Jensen Distribution, LLC, a division of Ace Wholesale Holdings, LLC, and relocated operations from Spokane to Oak Brook.

  Aftermath

  Jensen Distribution Services ceased operating as a standalone business under that name and became part of Ace's wholesale organization.

  Source

• 1995

  Rebrand from Jensen-Byrd Co. to Jensen Distribution ServicesStrategy

  Background

  The long-running Jensen-Byrd Co. business continued operating as a regional wholesale hardware distributor.

  Action taken

  The company changed its corporate and trading name to Jensen Distribution Services.

  Aftermath

  The new identity was used for the company's wholesale distribution activities until its acquisition and integration by Ace Hardware in 2015.

  Source

1. 1Jensen Distribution Servicesen.wikipedia.org