EXHIBIT 31.1

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Pamela Forbes Lieberman, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this quarterly report on Form 10-Q of TruServ Corporation;

2. Based on my knowledge, this quarterly report does not contain any untrue
statement of a material fact or omit to state a material fact necessary to make
the statements made, in light of the circumstances under which such statements
were made, not misleading with respect to the period covered by this quarterly
report;

3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other financial
information included in this quarterly report, fairly present in all material
respects the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of
TruServ as of, and for, the periods presented in this quarterly report;

4. TruServ's other certifying officer and I are responsible for establishing and
maintaining disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Exchange Act Rules
13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for TruServ and we have:

            a. designed such disclosure controls and procedures or caused such
            disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our
            supervision, to ensure that material information relating to
            TruServ, including its consolidated subsidiaries, is made known to
            us by others within those entities, particularly during the period
            in which this quarterly report is being prepared;

            b. evaluated the effectiveness of TruServ's disclosure controls and
            procedures and presented in this report our conclusions about the
            effectiveness of the disclosure controls and procedures, as of the
            end of the period covered by this report based on such evaluation;
            and

            c. disclosed in this quarterly report any change in the registrant's
            internal control over financial reporting that occurred during the
            registrant's most recent fiscal quarter (the registrant's fourth
            fiscal quarter in the case of an annual report) that has materially
            affected, or is reasonably likely to materially affect, the
            registrant's internal control over financial reporting;

5. TruServ's other certifying officer and I have disclosed, based on our most
recent evaluation, to TruServ's auditors and the audit committee of TruServ's
board of directors:

            a. all significant deficiencies and material weaknesses in the
            design or operation of internal controls which are reasonably likely
            to adversely affect TruServ's ability to record, process, summarize
            and report financial information; and

            b. any fraud, whether or not material, that involves management or
            other employees who have a significant role in TruServ's internal
            control over financial reporting.

TRUSERV CORPORATION

Date: May 13, 2004

By /s/ PAMELA FORBES LIEBERMAN
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Pamela Forbes Lieberman
President and Chief Executive Officer