 | |
 A Menards store inOnalaska, Wisconsin | |
| Menards | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Retail (home improvement) |
| Founded | 1960; 65 years ago (1960) |
| Founder | John Menard Jr. |
| Headquarters | Eau Claire,Wisconsin, US |
Number of locations | 341 stores and 4 distribution centers (as of October 2024) |
Key people | John Menard Jr. (president) Paul Menard (Member Board of Directors) Charlie Menard (Chief Operating Officer) |
| Products | Building materials,tools,hardware,garden supplies,electrical supplies,ceiling fans,light fixtures,cabinets,home appliances,doors,windows,paint,wood stain,wallpaper,plumbing supplies,toilets,carpet,vinyl,linoleum,groceries,pet food,automotive,propane |
| Revenue |  US$13 billion (2022) |
| Owner | Menard, Inc. |
Number of employees | 45,000 (2020) |
| Website | www |
Menard, Inc., doing business asMenards, (/məˈnɑːrdz/mə-NARDZ) is an Americanbig-boxhome improvement retail chain headquartered inEau Claire,Wisconsin. It is the third-largest home improvement retailer in the United States (behindLowe's andHome Depot), with 341 stores in 15 U.S. states, primarily in theMidwest.[1] The chain is privately owned by founderJohn Menard Jr.
In 1958,John Menard Jr. began building post-frame buildings to finance his college education. By the end of 1959, he found it necessary to hire extra crews, and to purchase more pieces of equipment to keep up with demand.[2] After graduating from the Wisconsin State College at Eau Claire (nowUniversity of Wisconsin–Eau Claire) in 1962, Menard purchased land in Eau Claire, Wisconsin and built an office and shop. The company was founded in 1960 [3] and incorporated in 1962.[4] The first Menards hardware store opened in 1964. By opening a truss plant in the late 1960s, Menards grew to produce more substantial building materials on-site. The truss plant evolved into the Menard Building Division, which produced steel siding and roofing, interior and exterior doors, decking and treated lumber, and other materials. Between the 1970s and 1980s Menards began opening locations inIowa,Minnesota,North Dakota andSouth Dakota. The company expanded intoNebraska in 1990,Illinois in 1991 andIndiana andMichigan in 1992.[5] Menards sold the Menard Building Division in 1994, racking up 36 years in the pole building industry.
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Menards was founded asMenard Cashway Lumber. In the early 1980s, the "Cashway Lumber" name was dropped and the business became simply known to this day as Menards (though it was spelled with an apostrophe-s well into the 1980s). In 2000, the company opened its 150th store. During the early and mid 2000s, Menards expanded intoOhio.
In 2007, Menards opened its third and fourth distribution centers inHoliday City, Ohio, andShelby, Iowa, which are 669,000 square feet (62,200 m2) and 735,000 square feet (68,300 m2), respectively.[7] In 2008, the company expanded intoMissouri. In 2009, Menards opened its firstWyoming location inCasper. Then it was followed by another location inGillette and one more inCheyenne. In 2011, the company expanded intoKansas. In 2012, Menards opened its firstKentucky location inOwensboro. Six more locations opened in Kentucky; one inLouisville, another inPaducah, another inElizabethtown, another inFlorence, another inBowling Green, and the last one inRichmond.
In 2020, Menards expanded intoWest Virginia, opening four locations in that state: one inWheeling, another inMorgantown, another inBarboursville[8] and the last one inBridgeport.[9] There will be a fifth Menards in West Virginia inParkersburg,[10][11] followed by a sixth location inCharleston.
A fifth manufacturing and distribution center inRavenna, Ohio began construction in Spring 2022 after a two-year-long delay.[12] The distribution center in Ravenna will supplement the chain's expansion intoNortheast Ohio andWestern Pennsylvania.[13] Menards announced in 2022 that it would open its firstPennsylvania location inWashington. A second Menards inUniontown has been delayed.[14]
In 2007, the 240,000 sq ft (22,000 m2) and larger Menards stores began sellinggroceries.[15] At such locations, shoppers are able to purchase items such as frozenpizza,milk,eggs, common snacks, and a variety of canned items. In addition, these Menards locations carry items such as office supplies, pet supplies, and mattresses.[16]
Menards publishes weekly print ads and broadcasts TV and radio ads.[17] Radio and TV ads are usually accompanied bybanjo music (resembling that ofbluegrass music) played by Gary Shaw ofAppleton, Wisconsin.[18]Ray Szmanda was the "Menards Guy" who used the slogan "Save big money at Menards" regularly on televisionadvertisements from 1976 to 1998, and occasionally from 1999 until his death in 2018.[19] Before his return in 1999, Kim Larsen took over his position in his absence. During theChristmas and holiday season, radio and television ads typically feature an alternativejingle "Warm season's greetings to you all from Menards!" sung by a female chorus beginning in 1986. The same year, the "Helping You Build America’s Heartland" jingle was made.[20] Warren Lada, WLXR radio in LaCrosse, wrote the lyrics to the "Save Big Money" jingle in the early 1970s.
Spanish language commercials (whose music contains a mixture ofmariachi and banjo sounds) end with "¡Ahorrar mucho dinero en Menards!"[citation needed]
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John Menard got involved in Indycar racing in the early 1980s working with his neighbor, driver Herm Johnson. Menard eventually owned cars, primarily focusing on the Indianapolis 500 often using stock block Buick V6 engines. When Buick left the sport, Menard bought the engine tooling from Buick and began producing the engines under the Menard V6 name. Driver Scott Brayton won two consecutive Indy 500 poles for Menard, but was killed in a practice crash before the 1996 500. Tony Stewart got his first Indy 500 starts for Menard, and in 1992 Al Unser Sr. scored the highest Indy 500 finish for the team (3rd) and the highest ever 500 finish for the Buick/Menard V6 engine.Menards has supported several racing drivers, includingPaul Menard (John Menard's son) who won his only NASCAR Cup race in the 2011 Brickyard 400 in a Menards sponsored Richard Childress Chevrolet;[21]Robby Gordon;P. J. Jones;[22]Brandon Jones;[23]Matt Crafton;[24]Simon Pagenaud,Ryan Blaney andMatt DiBenedetto.[25] Menards began sponsoringTeam Penske in 2016.[26] Menards has also become the title sponsor of races in theXfinity Series [27] and as the entitlement sponsor for the[28]ARCA Racing Series.[29]
In 2023, the Menards and Matt Crafton sponsorship partnership surpassed STP and Richard Petty as NASCAR's longest-tenured driver/sponsorship relationship.[30]
In 2021, Menards ranked 26th onForbes’ list of "America's Largest Private Companies", with an estimated revenue of US$11.8 billion.[31] In 2022, Menards ranked 34th on theNational Retail Federation's list of "100 Top Retailers".[32]
In 2022, Menards ranked second in aJ.D. Power survey in customer satisfaction among home improvement retail stores.[33] Subsequently in J.D. Power's 2024 survey, Menards ranked first, with the highest customer satisfaction of national home improvement retail stores.[34]
In 2022, Menards ranked 28th on Forbes' list of "America's Largest Private Companies" with an estimated revenue of US$13 billion.[35]
According toMilwaukee Magazine in 2007, Menards was cited with more regulatory violations involving air/water pollution andhazardous waste disposal than any other company in Wisconsin. It also alleges that the company is strongly anti-union, to the point that it will not hire anyone who has ever worked in aunion shop, even if they did so while in their teen years.[36]
During theCOVID-19 pandemic, Michigan's Attorney GeneralDana Nessel sent Menards acease and desist letter citing 18 complaints from consumers in regards toprice gouging on products such as face masks and bleach. "Big box stores are not immune to the Michigan Consumer Protection Act or the Governor's Executive Order", Nessel said. "Large corporations must also play by the rules, and my office will work diligently to ensure this state's consumers are treated fairly and not abused by businesses seeking to unlawfully jack prices up to line their pockets with profits at the expense of the public during this time of great need." Nessel said that Menards would have 10 days to respond to the letter, or she would potentially take legal action.[37][38]
During the early stages of the pandemic, Menards instituted a policy that prohibited children under age 16 and non-service animals in stores, to the frustration of single parents who do not have other childcare options.[39] The policy for children was later relaxed.[40]
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