Dollar General announced last week that it is targeting up to 13,000 potential sites in the continental United States. If they are successful in opening stores in all the targeted locations, the company would double its current store count.
“In trade areas where you probably only need one store for the next seven to 10 years, I’d rather it be a Dollar General, and that’s how we are looking at our portfolio as we go forward,” said CEO Todd J. Vasos.
900 new stores are scheduled to open in 2016, and 1,000 more in 2017.
Vasos said Dollar General has already identified about 800,000 “seed” points, or areas where people congregate. He says the company plans to narrow that number down to 13,000 by looking at several factors, including demographics, population density, competition, and through its own proprietary data.