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                                                                    EXHIBIT 31-A

                                  CERTIFICATION

I, Pamela Forbes Lieberman, certify that:

                  1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of TruServ
         Corporation;

                  2. Based on my knowledge, this annual 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 annual report;

                  3. Based on my knowledge, the financial statements, and other
         financial information included in this annual 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
         annual 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
         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
         annual 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 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



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


Date: March 5, 2004