New CEO takes reins of Dollar General

Dollar General’s new CEO started out with the discounter as a store manager trainee.

Longtime company executive Jeff Owen has been promoted to CEO, effective Nov. 1. He has also been added to its board. In July 2022, Dollar General announced that Owen would succeed Todd Vasos as CEO.

Vasos, who joined Dollar General in 2008 and was named CEO 2015, will serve in a senior advisory role from Nov. 1 through April 1, 2023, at which time he will retire from the company. He is expected to remain a board member.

Owen, who has been with Dollar General for nearly 30 years, was named COO in August 2019 having previously held the roles of executive VP, store operations from June 2015 to August 2019 and senior VP, store operations from August 2011 to July 2014.

Prior to August 2019, Owen served in a variety of roles. He joined Dollar General in 1992 as a store manager trainee.

During Owen’s tenure with Dollar General, the company has grown from 1,500 stores in 23 states into the largest U.S. retailer by store count, with 18,566 stores in 47 states as of July 29. 

In August, the company reported a strong second quarter as sales rose 9% to $9.4 billion.

[Read More: Dollar General to build three new distribution centers]

With Owen’s appointment, Dollar General’s board will consist of 10 total members with extensive expertise and experience across several industries.