Dollar General plans for 1,000 stores, 2 DCs this year

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General isn’t boasting when it calls itself one of America’s fastest-growing retailers. 

 

The extreme-value discounter will open 1,000 stores and two distribution centers in 2017, resulting in the creation of approximately 10,000 new jobs. The announcement comes as Dollar General is testing a new, smaller-store format under a new banner. 

 

The new jobs will translate into a roughly nine percent overall increase to its workforce and mark the largest one-year employee increase through organic store and distribution center growth in the company’s 78-year history.

 

In mid-January, Dollar General debuted its smaller-store format, called DGX, in Nashville. The 3,400-sq.-ft. store is designed to serve urban shoppers in a convenient, easy-to-shop format. The merchandise mix is geared toward instant consumption and includes a soda fountain, coffee station and grab-and-go sandwiches.

 

Additional items include a limited assortment of grocery offerings, pet supplies, candies and snacks, paper products, home cleaning supplies, an expanded health and beauty section and items not typically found in quick-trip stores, including a carefully edited assortment of home décor, electronics and seasonal offerings

 

“We are excited about our new smaller store concept and the opportunity to serve busy, city-dwellers with everyday low prices on the essentials they need in a convenient, easy-to-shop format,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s CEO. “The DGX format is geared to meet the needs of the millennial shopper, which is an emerging and important part of our customer base and will help us broaden our appeal to attract a new segment of urban customers who put a high premium on value and convenience.”

 

The retailer is scheduled to open a second DGX, in Raleigh, North Carolina.