AC Moore vs Pool Corporation
Side-by-side comparison of AI visibility scores, market position, and capabilities
Former arts and crafts retail chain that closed all 135+ stores in 2019-2020 after bankruptcy; 40 locations converted to Michaels, leaving Michaels and Hobby Lobby as dominant craft retailers.
About
AC Moore was an arts and crafts specialty retail chain that operated 135+ stores primarily in the eastern United States — offering art supplies, framing, fabric, seasonal crafts, and home décor materials to DIY enthusiasts and crafters. Founded in 1985 in Moorestown, New Jersey by Jack Parker, AC Moore competed in the specialty craft retail market alongside Michaels and Hobby Lobby until closing all of its stores in 2019-2020 after filing for bankruptcy protection. The chain's entire store portfolio was closed and approximately 40 locations were converted to Michaels stores.\n\nAC Moore's business model was similar to Michaels — big-box format stores with extensive craft supplies, regular weekly promotional sales (often percentage-off coupon events similar to Michaels' famous blue coupons), and custom framing services. The company had geographic concentration in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, with a loyal regional customer base that valued the store's assortment for needlecrafts, scrapbooking, and seasonal decorating. AC Moore's closure left its Mid-Atlantic customer base to shift to Michaels and, in some locations, Hobby Lobby.\n\nIn 2025, AC Moore exists as a historical brand reference — the company completed its store closures in 2020 and is no longer operating as a retail business. The craft retail market consolidation continued with AC Moore's closure and Jo-Ann Fabric's 2024 bankruptcy, leaving Michaels and Hobby Lobby as the two dominant specialty craft retailers in the United States. The former AC Moore customer base was partially captured by the 40 Michaels conversions from AC Moore locations, providing geographic coverage continuity for craft enthusiasts in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic markets where AC Moore had operated.
Covington LA pool supplies wholesale distributor (NASDAQ: POOL) at $5.3B 2024 revenue (-4%); 440+ service centers, 6M+ US pool installed base maintenance, 200,000+ SKUs for pool builders competing with regional distributors.
About
Pool Corporation is a Covington, Louisiana-based wholesale distributor of swimming pool supplies, equipment, and related outdoor living products — publicly traded on NASDAQ (NASDAQ: POOL) as an S&P 500 Consumer Discretionary component — operating as the world's largest wholesale distributor of swimming pool and related outdoor products through a network of 440+ service centers across the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe, serving approximately 125,000 customers including pool builders, retailers, and service companies through approximately 6,400 employees. In fiscal year 2024, Pool Corporation reported annual net sales of $5.3 billion, a 4% decrease from 2023, with diluted EPS of $11.30, operating cash flow of $659.2 million, and an operating margin of 11.6% — reflecting softer discretionary spending in new pool construction while maintenance chemicals, equipment replacement, and repair parts sustained non-discretionary demand. Founded in 1993 through the consolidation of regional pool supply distributors, Pool Corporation (operating under the SCP Pool and Horizon Distributors brand names) built its distribution moat through a hub-and-spoke service center network that delivers products next-morning to pool builders and service companies in virtually every US market. CEO Peter Arvan has led the company's strategy of expanding into outdoor living products (patio furniture, landscaping equipment, irrigation) beyond the core pool supplies business.
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