Dollar General Opens 19,000th Store

Joplin, Mo., location is part of discount retailer's 2023 expansion plans

1/29/2023

Dollar General marked its milestone 19,000th store, in Joplin, Mo., with a community celebration and a local school donation.

Dollar General Corp. has opened its 19,000th store, in Joplin, Mo. The company welcomed shoppers to the 8,500-square-foot sales floor with complimentary DG gift cards, tote bags and product samples. Dollar General also celebrated the milestone by donating $19,000 and 100 new books to Royal Heights Elementary School, in Joplin, to support ongoing literacy and education programs.

The company believes that the addition of each new store provides positive economic benefits, including additional access to affordable products for customers, the creation of new jobs and career development opportunities for employees, the generation of additional tax revenue, and the ability for local nonprofits, schools and libraries to apply for literacy and education grants through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

“Since opening our first Missouri store in 1973, Dollar General has a longstanding history in the state and proudly employs more than 6,000 Missourians through our store, distribution center and DG Private Fleet,” said Jeff Owen, CEO of Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General. “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the entire Dollar General family, whose dedication to our customers helped us to reach this milestone. We look forward to continuing to serve the Joplin community.”

In the release of its third-quarter earnings, the discount retailer said that it anticipates executing approximately 3,170 real estate projects in the United States for fiscal year 2023, including more than 1,000 new store openings, 2,000 remodels and 120 relocations.

Dollar General’s rapid expansion plans come at a time when the discount and dollar store sector is poised to grow overall as consumers adjust their shopping habits amid ongoing inflation. According to Placer.ai’s “Q4 2022 Quarterly Index,” the discount and dollar store sector saw its Q4 2022 continue to overperform its 2019 baseline. Year-over-three-years (Yo3Y, 2022 compared with 2019) weekly visits were up by double digits almost every week of the quarter.

While Dollar General’s Yo3Y foot traffic was up considerably, it had the smallest Yo3Y visit growth (15.3%). However, Los Altos, Calif.-based Placer.ai indicates that the banner’s investments in grocery and consumables may well drive a visit boost in 2023 as budget-conscious shoppers continue to look for value-priced alternatives.

Dollar General was founded as a wholesale venture in 1939 by J.L. Turner and his son, Cal Turner Sr. The father-and-son duo opened the first Dollar General store in 1955, in Springfield, Ky. The company is No. 15 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.