Dollar General Is Opening 450 Stores (And Quietly Changing How You Shop There)

The economic crisis for average Americans continues, and consumers are looking for ways to save money on everyday essentials as the cost of basic necessities keeps rising. Luckily, Dollar General wants to fill that need and is opening hundreds of new locations, plus a refreshed format meant to improve the customer experience.

Learn about Dollar General's plans to increase and redefine their store footprint in 2026.

Dollar Tree is opening 450 new locations

At the end of 2025, Dollar General announced the opening of 450 new locations by the end of 2026. The discount retailer has not yet revealed where the new locations will be specifically, but CEO Todd Vasos has previously stated that they "will be predominantly in rural communities," likely to accommodate a larger footprint.

Currently, Dollar General operates around 21,000 stores in the U.S. And although approximately a year ago the chain announced plans to close around 100 locations, big plans are ahead for 2026, including a new store format.

Stores will feature a new and improved layout

Vasos has explained that one of their growth strategies is to focus on improving the customer experience while shopping. As a result, a new store format will be introduced this year in hopes of driving larger purchases.

"This new format is designed to be more open and inviting, resulting in greater browsing and treasure-hunt shopping as customers are exposed to more categories as they navigate the store," Vasos said in a conference call.

The new format stores were quietly tested in 2025 and produced results indicating incremental sales lift and outperformance relative to their traditional store models.

In addition to store format, Dollar General is introducing other exciting changes.

New subscription plan

Dollar General plans to pilot a new subscription model as part of the expanded loyalty program. Details about what that means specifically have been few and far between so far. Stay tuned for more info.

Expanded delivery options

Not all consumers enjoy shopping in person, and Dollar General may be expanding online shopping and delivery options to meet the higher demand. These expansions began in 2025 but are expected to continue through this year.

The company-owned myDG offers delivery, but Dollar General also has third-party agreements with DoorDash and Uber Eats.

A new CEO

Current CEO Todd Vasos will be stepping down at the end of the year. An outside hire from the grocery industry will be replacing him. JJ Fleeman Jr. will step into the role of company leader in 2027, after spending 36 years at a global grocery chain company that owns supermarkets such as Food Lion, Giant, and Stop & Shop.

What is Dollar General's digital strategy?

Dollar General also benefits from upgrading their digital profile, as they have gathered over 100 million marketable customer profiles and 7 million monthly active users on the Dollar General app, Vasos has said.

"We delivered approximately $170 million in retail media network volume, which is highly accretive to gross margin. Overall, our digital strategy is an important component of our in-store customer experience and a key driver within our long-term financial framework."

How is Dollar General doing financially?

The discount chain has seen strong gains as shoppers have become more focused on value during the past year's economic downturn. Last year showed a 3% increase in same-store sales, and a net sales growth of 5.2% (up to $42.7 billion) compared to the prior year.

In terms of fourth-quarter performance specifically, net sales increased by 5.9% year over year, reaching $10.9 billion. Same-store sales grew by 4.3%.

What else should customers know about Dollar General?

Products may also be shifting. Over 1,500 SKUs have already been taken out of the inventory selection, and Dollar General plans to continue downsizing their product lineup throughout 2026. This streamlining of products is part of the plan to strengthen their financial position and optimize focus around the core products shoppers are purchasing.

Dollar General isn't the only discount retailer capitalizing on a new consumer emphasis on savings, either. Dollar Tree is expanding its multi-price strategy, including a more expensive but still discounted inventory, many at $7 across more categories. They will be adding approximately 400 new store openings this year, as well as closing 75 underperforming locations as part of a larger portfolio review.

Bottom line

It's no surprise that Dollar General is shifting to focus more on groceries as they move forward with expansion plans. Average American consumers are struggling to find ways to tackle rising grocery costs, and one solution is to shift spending to groceries available for less at discount stores.

The focus on expanding into more rural areas can also help combat "food deserts" in which communities have to travel quite far to find a supermarket, which will be further enhanced by expanding delivery options for both the in-house app and third-party services.