Each DG Fresh cold storage facility seeks to support approximately 1,500 stores.
Dollar General has been working on a strategic, multi-phased shift to self-distribution of frozen and refrigerated products such as dairy, deli and frozen products, and its latest announcements catapult this mission forward.
Three new DG Fresh cold storage facilities will open in Bowling Green, Kentucky; Ardmore, Oklahoma and West Sacramento, California. The facilities in Bowling Green and Ardmore are 160,000 square feet and the West Sacramento facility is 200,000 square feet. At full capacity, each of these DG Fresh facilities is expected to create approximately 65 new jobs and support approximately 1,500 stores.
The newest DG Fresh facility, located in Montgomery, Alabama, is celebrating its grand opening too. With a virtual event Wednesday morning, state and local representatives recognized the 65 new jobs and 1,500 stores served thanks to the new facility.
“We are excited to celebrate the grand opening of our newest DG Fresh facility as we grow career opportunities and our distribution center presence in Alabama,” said Rod West, Dollar General’s vice president of perishables growth and development. “We are incredibly grateful for the tremendous support from both state and local officials who helped make this project happen. Our Montgomery DG Fresh facility will allow us the opportunity to better serve our surrounding stores and communities with the quality products at affordable prices that customers depend on us to carry. We are equally excited to welcome employees to the Dollar General family.”
The DG Fresh distribution footprint isn't the only part of the company expanding. Dollar General is opening its 18th traditional distribution center to employ 250 individuals and serve 800 stores. The 630,000-square-foot facility will be located in Walton, Kentucky, with operations scheduled to begin in January 2021.
The addition of distribution facilities also provides opportunities for the expansion of Dollar General’s private fleet network. The company continues to grow its DG Private Fleet training program, which provides fully-funded, on-the-job training to store and distribution center employees interested in earning their Class A CDL (commercial driver’s license) and joining the fleet team.
Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based Dollar General operates 16,500 stores in 46 states, and employs approximately 140,000 associates. The company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2020 list of the top food retailers in North America.