One of the most successful discount store chains in the country with a traditional following among lower income shoppers is suddenly serving a wealthier clientele.
According to a first quarter earnings call, Todd Vasos, chief executive officer of the Dollar General Corporation, said the company’s stores are attracting “higher income customers who are looking to maximize value while still shopping for items that they want.”
Vasos added that the change in the stores’ customer profile has been ongoing for the last four years, noting that higher income customers are making more trips to their local Dollar General outlets, and spending more on those trips.
For the first three months of this year, net sales at Dollar General substantially increased by 5.3% for a total of $10.4 billion.
Launched in 1939 and based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee, Dollar General currently has more than 19,600 outlets, the vast majority of which are based in the South. The company does have, however, a growing base in the West, with around 1,800 stores in Texas; 130 stores in Arizona; just over 110 stores in New Mexico; and around 70 outlets in Colorado.
To keep its stores up to date – some of which were built in the 1960s and 70s – the company has also announced plans to renovate around 4,250 outlets this year. That effort follows on the heels of the nearly 800 stores it upgraded in 2024.
Late last year, the company said it also hoped to build up to 575 new stores before the end of 2025.
Within the last month, Dollar General has opened new stores in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; Verona, New York; and Pink Hill, North Carolina.
June 10, 2025
By Garry Boulard
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
