EpicorEpicor
p options for consumers. This package requires the store to integrate live inventory with the Ecom site, and only the following POS providers are currently capable of integration; Epicor, Transact, EC
From the filings
HQ + multi-unit
United Hardware Distributing Co
Retail non foodUnited Hardware Distributing Co runs a members' cooperative model rather than a locked technology mandate: Item 8's own language states there is no current obligation to buy computer hardware and software from a designated source, though members must meet minimum annual merchandise purchase requirements United sets. The co-op spans 577 member stores, all of them under Membership Agreements.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
577
577 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-5.255%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2023
Royalty
—
of gross sales
Ad fund
—
national + local
Initial fee
—
per unit
Investment range
$307K–$2.18M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Standards based
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
1 requirement the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 19 explicit no's; 14 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
How the franchisor buys
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
163585099Item 8
Sales to Members accounted for approximately $163,585,099 of this total.
The filing answers no to 19 questions
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
- Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?Item 11
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 1
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?Item 8
- Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?Item 11
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 11
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Item 8
- Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
- Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?Item 11
- Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
- Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?Item 11
- Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at United Hardware Distributing Co
United Hardware Distributing Co operates 577 member stores, all of them under Membership Agreements. The membership base includes 76 mapped operators, none of them multi-unit, across 76 located stores, concentrated in Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and Nebraska. The FDD makes no financial performance representation, and franchised outlets fell 5.3% year over year.
Who controls software purchasing
United Hardware's board, including Vice Chairman Ken Lieuwen, sets overall governance, but the Membership Agreement does not lock down computer hardware and software sourcing the way many franchise systems do. Item 8's own language states there is no current obligation for members to purchase or lease any specific goods, services, supplies, fixtures, equipment, inventory, or computer hardware and software from a source United designates.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
The FDD names Epicor in Item 11, without designating it as a required system. What Item 8 does require is that members meet the applicable Minimum Annual Purchase Requirements United sets for merchandise inventory, purchase the Essential Marketing Package, and hold Class A Shares. Item 11 also requires all members to participate in and be listed on hardwarehank.com.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Outside those requirements, members choose their own sources, including for computer hardware and software, as long as merchandise purchases meet the Minimum Annual Purchase Requirement. Members must also carry insurance from a carrier United finds acceptable, with a minimum rating and specific coverage limits. The initial term runs 5 years, and the Membership Agreement automatically renews for successive 5-year terms unless United gives at least 180 days' notice that it will not renew.
How to read the United Hardware Distributing Co FDD
The embedded viewer below carries United Hardware Distributing Co's 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document in full, including the Item 8 sourcing rules summarized above.
Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of franchise systems like United Hardware Distributing Co where the procurement model and footprint line up with your product.
Questions vendors ask
United Hardware Distributing Co, answered from the filing
Ken Lieuwen, Vice Chairman of the Board, sits atop United Hardware's board-level governance, but Item 8's own language leaves computer hardware and software sourcing open — there is no current obligation to buy it from a designated source. Vendors should approach individual member stores directly for that category.
Item 8's own text states members face no current obligation to buy computer hardware and software from a source United designates. The FDD names Epicor in Item 11, without designating it as required. All members must be listed on hardwarehank.com. Members must meet Minimum Annual Purchase Requirements for merchandise inventory.
577 member stores, all under Membership Agreements, in the hardware retail segment.
Item 8 leaves most sourcing open: members are not required to buy from designated sources except to meet Minimum Annual Purchase Requirements for merchandise, buy the Essential Marketing Package, and hold Class A Shares. Insurance must come from a carrier meeting United's minimum rating.
The Membership Agreement auto-renews for successive 5-year terms unless United gives 180 days' notice not to renew. Franchised outlets fell 5.3% year over year, so member attrition is a bigger near-term factor than new-store openings.
The embedded PDF viewer below carries United Hardware Distributing Co's 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document in full.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment United Hardware Distributing Co files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
76 operators run 76 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit76
Top states by locations
| MN | 32 |
|---|---|
| ND | 9 |
| WI | 9 |
| SD | 6 |
| NE | 4 |
Related Retail non food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.