Dollar General Corp.

Two big retail names, Dollar General and Abercrombie & Fitch, recently unveiled new store formats that differ dramatically from their traditional concepts. Here’s a look at their new initiatives:

Dollar General

One of the nation’s fastest-growing retailers is putting the focus on convenience, targeting a new demographic with a smaller-store concept called DGX.

Dollar General debuted the new format, which has 3,400 sq. ft. of selling space, in Nashville, Tenn. A second location is set to open in Raleigh, N.C.

Staying true to its recently announced growth plan, Dollar General is preparing to break ground on a new distribution center.   

The ever-expanding Dollar General has entered its 44th state.   The discounter opened a store in Hankinson, North Dakota. The company plans to open six additional locations in the state through spring 2017.   

Dollar General has unveiled its smaller-store concept, called DGX, in Nashville, Tennessee. A second location is set to open in Raleigh, North Carolina.    The new store, which features 3,400 sq. ft. of selling space, is designed to serve urban shoppers in a convenient, easy-to-shop format. The merchandise mix is geared toward instant consumption and includes a beverage bar, coffee station and grab-and-go sandwiches.  

Dollar General isn’t boasting when it calls itself one of America’s fastest-growing retailers.    The extreme-value discounter will open 1,000 stores and two distribution centers in 2017, resulting    In the creation of approximately 10,000 new jobs. The announcement comes as Dollar General is testing a new, smaller-store format under a new banner.   

Dollar General is setting records with its upcoming employment search.   With plans to open 1,000 new stores and two new state-of-the-art distribution centers this year, the chain is preparing to fill approximately 10,000 new jobs — about a 9% overall increase to its workforce.    The hiring spree marks the largest one-year employee increase through organic store and distribution center growth in the company’s 78-year history, the chain said.  

It’s a draw.   Dollar General and Walmart tied for the least expensive overall basket, at $27 each, in Kantar Retail's Opening Price Point Study, which seeks to determine how select retailers meet the grocery and consumable needs of shoppers looking for the lowest absolute shelf prices.     

Reductions in food-stamp benefits and falling grocery prices took a toll on Dollar General Corp.’s third-quarter performance which came in below expectations and included an unexpected drop in same-store sales.   The company reported a profit of $235 million, or $0.84 per diluted share, in the quarter, compared to net income of $253 million, or $0.86 per diluted share, in the year ago period. Its profit included a charge of about 5 cents per share for store relocation costs and disaster-related expenses.