Dollar General Opens 1st Store in Montana

Expansion completes retailer’s continental U.S. presence

10/2/2023

Dollar General New Store in Columbia Falls, Montana

Dollar General recently celebrated the grand opening of its first Montana store, in Columbia Falls.

Dollar General Corp. celebrated the grand opening of its first store in Montana over the weekend. With the addition of the Columbia Falls store in Flathead County, the discount retailer now serves all 48 continental U.S. states.

“Today marks an exciting milestone in our history as we extend our ability to provide customers with convenient and affordable access to household essentials throughout all 48 continental states,” said Steve Deckard, Dollar General’s EVP of growth and emerging markets. “As America’s general store, we believe each new Dollar General represents positive economic impact, local job opportunities, community donations and literacy grant opportunities through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.”

The company held a customer celebration on Sept. 30 at the new Columbia Falls store, located at 1800 Ninth Street West. The celebration included gift cards and complimentary product samples to customers, alongside a $10,000 literacy donation to Ruder Elementary School.

Nonprofit organizations, schools and libraries within a 15-mile radius of a Dollar General store are eligible to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants, which support adult, family, summer and youth literacy programs. Celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2023, the foundation has awarded more than $238 to support nearly 20 million individuals improve their lives through literacy and education, according to Dollar General.

Meanwhile, the discount retailer is going full speed with its expansion into Montana. Dollar General is currently under construction on stores in Lincoln and Sanders counties, which are all expected to open in fall 2023. The company plans to evaluate additional areas in the Treasure State for future locations.

Amid its growth, Dollar General shared a mixed bag of financial results for its second quarter, ended Aug. 4, punctuated by a net sales increase of 3.9% to $9.8 billion over Q2 last year, and a same-store sales decrease of 0.1%. Additionally, operating profit decreased 24.2% to $692.3 million, and diluted earnings per share decreased 28.5% to $2.13.

“While we are not satisfied with our overall financial results, we made significant progress in the second quarter, improving execution in our supply chain and our stores, as well as reducing our inventory growth rate and further strengthening our price position,” said CEO Jeff Owen.

As of Aug. 4, Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General operated 19,488 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and pOpshelf stores across the United States, and Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico. The company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.