Famed Discount Retailer Closing Nearly 100 Locations Soon—Here's What You Need To Know

Following a similar trend amongst a variety of long-standing businesses, Dollar General has announced a plan to close up to 96 Dollar General stores and 45 Popshelf stores during the first quarter of this year. As an additional part of the new plan, six Popshelf stores will also be turned into Dollar General stores.

Dollar General, founded back in 1939, has long been a beacon of reliability for those searching for one dollar or less alternatives to their favorite everyday products. The first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Kentucky back in 1955, which was the start of the familiar storefront we know today.

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Present day, the company operates more than 20,000 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and Popshelf stores across 48 US states. Last week, during its fourth quarter earnings report, Dollar General announced the upcoming store closures, looking to build on the previous years “Back to Basics” program which aims at strengthening the brands overall business.

“As we look to build on the substantial progress we made on our Back to Basics work in fiscal 2024, we believe this review was appropriate to further strengthen the foundation of our business,” Dollar General’s chief executive officer Todd Vasos said in the report. “While the number of closings represents less than one percent of our overall store base, we believe this decision better positions us to serve our customers and communities.”

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Last year, Dollar General said that it had initiated a “store portfolio optimization review,” effectively identifying stores for closure or rebranding based on “an valuation of individual performance, expected future performance, and operating conditions, among other factors."

This decision comes four years after Dollar General first announced its new Popshelf concept, aimed to “engage customers with a fun, affordable and stress-free shopping experience.” Popshelf also highlighted seasonal favorites in home decor, cleaning supplies and party supplies. By 2021, Dollar General had plans to open roughly 1,000 Popshelf stores by the end of the 2025 fiscal year, however the chain currently operates with 220 locations across 21 states.

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As a result of the upcoming 45 planned closures, Popshelf will be left with about 175 remaining locations, though details of which locations are set to close are still unclear. While Dollar General has given out only limited information surrounding these changes, the silver lining here is that the brand is doing what needs to be done to continue serving its long-standing customer base.

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