Waters Hardware closed on the purchase of the seven-store Nuts & Bolts hardware store chain serving Missouri and Kansas.
All seven Nuts & Bolts locations will remain open as they undergo a complete remodel. Each store will be rebranded with the Waters Hardware named and will undergo a complete store reset, including refreshed interiors, layout updates, and producti additions, according to Waters Hardware.
Waters Hardware is itself an acquisition by the Gerken family, who founded Gerken Rent-All in 2002 and acquired Paola Hardware in 2016. The addition of Nuts & Bolts brings the Gerken family’s total number of home improvement stores to twenty, eleven of which house Gerken Rent-All service centers, as well as thirteen stand-alone Gerken Rent-All locations and three lumberyards.
“Hardware is a natural extension of our original rental business,” owner Rusty Gerken said in a prepared statement. “These Nuts & Bolts locations are serving regions we’ve been looking to grow into because they complement our current offerings so well. Bringing them into our family of home improvement businesses just made sense, and we’ve already started introducing enhancements we know customers will appreciate.”
The Gerkens plan to retain all Nuts & Bolts associates and add Gerken Rent-All heavy duty equipment rentals to select locations.
“We’re excited to finish these remodeling projects and keep the momentum going,” Gerken said. “And we’ll continue looking for new opportunities to grow.”
Waters Hardware and the Gerken family are member-owners of Do it Best, a U.S. based hardware, lumber, and building materials buying cooperative. Each Waters Hardware location carries a wide variety of tools, builder hardware, electrical supplies, plumbing and heating supplies, lawn and garden supplies, sporting goods, housewares, and paint and sundries.
