On Wednesday, Dollar General said it has bought 41 former Walmart Express stores in 11 states.
In January, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shut down all 102 of its smaller-format stores, part of an effort to shutter 269 underperforming stores worldwide and 154 in the U.S.
The Express stores were the 10,000 to 15,000 square foot locations that the retailer began opening in 2011 to compete with dollar-store chains like Dollar General and drugstore retailers in more residential and even urban areas. The idea was encouraged by previous CEO David Glass, according to Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates Inc., a New York City-based retail consulting and investment banking firm. Glass found that dollar stores were beating Wal-Mart even though Wal-Mart was beating them on price.
Retail Dive: Dollar General buys Walmart Express stores, to sell fresh produce