Dollar General to open 50 stores in California
Another dollar store is heading to California.
Dollar General Corp. will open 50 stores and a distribution center in the Golden State this year as part of a national 625-store expansion.
The first location – in Montclair in San Bernardino County – is slated to open in February, to be followed by new stores in Victorville, Colton and Palmdale. The company may open as many as two dozen stores in Southern California this year, company spokeswoman Tawn Earnest said in an email.
The Goodlettsville, Tenn., chain, which operates about 9,800 stores nationwide, plans to concentrate on the central and southern regions of California, bringing an estimated 1,300 jobs to the state.
“We’re looking forward to bringing Dollar General’s model of convenience and value to new communities in California,” Chief Executive Rick Dreiling said in a statement.
This week, Dollar General will begin hiring about 300 people for its Inland Empire locations at job fairs Thursday and Friday at the Best Western Hotel near the Ontario International Airport.
Dollar stores have benefited during the economic downturn as shoppers trying to tighten their budget increasingly turned to these shops, which are often located more conveniently than big-box retailers such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Target. Another rival chain – Family Dollar Stores Inc. – also recently stretched west and plans to open about 50 stores in California by this fall.
Shares of Dollar General rose 28 cents to $41.36 on Wednesday.
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