Dollar General opening new store in north Charlotte

Tennessee-based Dollar General is opening a new store in north Charlotte, as the country's biggest discount store continues to expand.
The store is at 2804 West Sugar Creek Road, in the Crossroads Shopping Center. There will be a grand opening celebration on Saturday, April 21. Starting at 8 a.m., the first 50 customers will get a $10 gift certificate for Dollar General, and the first 200 shoppers will get a free tote bag.
The new store features an updated layout, Dollar General says. Seasonal items are on display in the middle of the store, and coolers are located at the front. Signage has also been updated and expanded.
Dollar General has more than 10,000 retail stores in the U.S., compared to Matthews-based Family Dollar's 7,100 or so. Both discount chains have been trying to burnish their image, with updated store designs, more consumable goods and a wider range of products. They've been booming in recent years, as a combination of the recession and stumbles by huge rival Wal-Mart have driven more shoppers to try out dollar stores.

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Dollar General to open 625 new stores in 2012

Dollar General, rival to Matthews-based Family Dollar, said Tuesday that it plans to open 625 new stores and add 6,000 jobs this year.

The Tennessee-based Dollar General chain totals 9,800 stores. Both discount chains have been in expansion overdrive since the recession, when more shoppers started flocking to them in order to save money.


Family Dollar and Dollar General are both expanding at a torrid rate, fueled by plenty of cash flowing into their coffers. In fiscal 2011, Family Dollar's sales rose 8.7 percent, to $8.5 billion, with $388 million in profit. In December, Dollar General reported sales were up 11 percent, to $10.6 billion, with $474 million in profit.

Even with both companies repurchasing hundreds of millions of dollars worth of their stock, that's a lot of cash to put to work.

Family Dollar is set to report its first quarter earnings on Thursday afternoon. CEO Howard Levine will likely reveal more details about the company's expansion plans this year during Friday morning's phone call with analysts. The company has previously said it plans to open 450-500 new stores in fiscal 2012.


The company opened its 7,000th store this year, pushed into the California market for the first time and has announced plans to open hundreds of stores each year. And Family Dollar is also in the middle of a plan to renovate all of the existing stores in its chain to improve sales.


In 2012, Dollar General will also be opening stores in California for the first time, as well as a new distribution center in the state. Both Dollar General and Family Dollar are muscling in to 99 Cents Only store territory in the Golden State.