Exhibit 99.1

                                 [TRUSERV LOGO]

                                  PRESS RELEASE


                                              For more information contact:
                                              Shelley Hughes
                                              TruServ Corporation
                                              (773) 213-4641/shughes@truserv.com


                TRUSERV ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD MEMBER AT FALL MARKET
           Co-op appoints Thomas Hanemann as its 5th outside director


DALLAS, Oct. 7, 2002 - Veteran retailer and wholesaler Thomas S. Hanemann has
been appointed to TruServ Corporation's board of directors. Hanemann, the former
president of AutoZone, Inc., will stand for election at the company's next
annual meeting of stockholders in April 2003.

         In May 2002, Laurence L. Anderson, David Y. Schwartz and Gilbert L.
Wachsman were elected as TruServ's first outside directors as the board began a
shift from being solely composed of storeowners and TruServ's CEO. The board
then went on to appoint Judith Harrison in August 2002. With Hanemann's
appointment, the board now has five outside directors, five storeowners and
TruServ President and Chief Executive Officer Pamela Forbes Lieberman.

          "We now have our best-in-class board in place to build a best-in-class
company," said Bill Blagg, chairman of the board. "Tom is a visionary thinker
and charismatic leader with more than 30 years of retail experience. His
expertise in retailing and wholesaling will make him a great addition to our
board."

         Hanemann began his career in wholesaling in 1974 with Super D
Drugstores, the drugstore division of Malone & Hyde, a large New York Stock
Exchange grocery wholesaler. He advanced through several positions and was
ultimately named president of Super D in 1978.

         During his tenure, he expanded the company to more than 100 stores and
increased its sales to $150 million. In 1983, while serving as Super D's
president, he founded Ike's Deep Discount Drugstores, a high-volume-discount
retail drug chain selling health and beauty aids at deeply discounted prices.

         Malone & Hyde created the Fortune 500 national chain of auto parts
stores known as AutoZone. Hanemann was one of the leaders and creators of that
business and was named executive



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vice president of stores and distribution centers in 1985. In this role, he
developed a culture of superior customer service that became the cornerstone of
AutoZone's business. From 1993-1996, he served as the company's president and as
a member of its board of directors.

         Hanemann retired from AutoZone in 1996 and started his own company,
Chandler-Hanemann, L.L.C. As chief manager of the company, he created a joint
venture with his daughters to pursue a family passion--cooking. The result of
the venture is an upscale prepared food market, Cheffries.

         Hanemann earned his bachelor's degree in pharmacy from the University
of Tennessee.

         TruServ, headquartered in Chicago, is one of the world's largest
member-owned cooperatives with annual sales of $2.6 billion in 2001. The TruServ
cooperative includes approximately 6,800 independent retailers worldwide
operating under store identities that include True Value, Grand Rental Station,
Taylor Rental, Home & Garden Showplace and Induserve Supply. Additional
information on TruServ and its retail identities is available at
www.truserv.com.
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