Dollar General Names Safeway Vet EVP of Store Ops

Dollar General Corp. has hired Gregory A. “Greg” Sparks as its EVP – store operations, effective March 19. Reporting to chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling, Sparks will oversee the operations of more than 9,900 retail stores in 38 states, as well as serving on the Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based dollar store retailer’s real estate and store development committee.

Sparks’ most recent position was as division president, Seattle division, for Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway, a role he first assumed in 2001. His 36 years of retail experience include a 34-year tenure at Safeway, where he steadily rose through the ranks, taking on such positions as merchandising manager; category manager; divisional director of merchandising, grocery and general merchandise; and divisional VP of marketing.

“Greg is a proven leader with a breadth of retail experience across both operations and merchandising,” noted said Dreiling. “Given that I have known Greg for 20 years and have had the opportunity to follow his career during this time, I believe Greg will be a great addition to Dollar General  and help take our business to new levels of success.”

Sparks’ professional affiliations include membership on the boards of the Western Association of Food Chains and the Northwest Grocery Association.