From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 15, no. 3, September 2000.

The first franchise agreement between a USA company and a Tongan company was realised on August 31, when ACE Lionvest Timber and Hardware Ltd. was officially opened by the Chairman of the company, Baron Vaea of Houma.

The USA Ambassador to Tonga, HE Mr Osman Siddique, who is based in Suva, said at the opening that the ACE Lionvest franchise would enable Tongans to have access to the kind of products that made ACE a household name in the USA. He said that the company had 5000 stores throughout the USA, and the world.The ambassador believed that ACE and Lionvest had started a partnership that could be duplicated in a number of other areas. “I can see a MacDonalds and even a Sheraton nicely fitting into the Nuku’alofa landscape,” he said. Dr Mumui Tatola, the landowner of the ACE Lionvest property, told the Ambassador that he had heard his speech loud and clear, and that he was offering a few acres of his property facing the Fanga’uta Lagoon  lease-free for 20 years to any American companies that were interested in establishing a business in Tonga.

Lionvest, a local company opened its doors in November 1998. Managing Director, Surendra Naidu said that the securing of a franchise agreement with the ACE Hardware Corporation of the USA was a proud moment for Lionvest “because now we are able to offer to the people of Tonga all the products offered by ACE stores world wide.”