10,000 and counting for Dollar General

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Nothing is slowing down Dollar General, which, shortly after reporting surging quarterly sales and profits, announced that it will open its 10,000th store in the United States. The store will be located in Merced, Calif., and is one the company's first stores in California.

“Opening the doors of our 10,000th store is a meaningful day for all of us at Dollar General, and we are excited to celebrate the occasion in California,” said Rick Dreiling, Dollar General’s chairman and CEO. “This milestone reiterates our commitment to bringing unmatched convenience and value to customers across the nation.”

The first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Ky. The discount retailer now has 10,000 stores in 39 states. In a seperate announcement, Dollar General said it plans to open 625 stores in 2012.

The company reported that itsquarterly profit surged 33% to a record $299 million, from $226 million in the prior year.

Sales increased 20.1% to $4.19 billion, compared with $3.49 billion in the year-ago period. Same-store sales rose 6.5%.