Dive Brief:

• Dollar General has promoted veteran executive Emily Taylor to executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, the discount store operator announced Friday.
• Taylor, whose appointment was effective immediately, replaces Jason Reiser, who departed on Thursday after three years in the role, the retailer said.
• Dollar General is shaking up its merchandising operations as it adjusts its product mix in response to the pandemic, an effort that includes ramping up the amount of fresh and frozen food its stores carry.

Dive Insight:

Dollar General has decided it needs to refresh its chief merchant role as it continues to update its store assortment — and it looked inside to find that person.

Taylor has been with Dollar General since 1998, serving most recently as senior vice president of channel innovation. Previously, she was assigned to roles that gave her experience in merchandise planning and operations, pricing and finance.

The company’s CEO, Todd Vasos, has made clear that he sees plenty of room to strengthen its position as a food retailer. Speaking earlier this month at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference, Vasos said he has raised his expectations for DG Fresh, the company’s initiative to build its ability to distribute fresh and frozen foods.

Dollar General is also looking to expand its private label foods business, which the company says has benefited from DG Fresh. Speaking at the Barclays event, Chief Operating Officer Jeff Owen said the retailer intends to take a close look at the mix of goods it sells under its house brands in an effort to attract customers.

Dollar General is “methodically refining the assortment and continuing to talk to that customer to hear and see what she wants us to put in the assortment,” Owen said.

The retailer is also looking to strengthen its brands as it seeks to deepen its relationship with consumers, Vasos said during a call with analysts about Dollar General’s strong second-quarter financial results. “During the quarter, we made great progress with our re-branding and repositioning efforts,” he said. “Looking ahead, our plans include the continued expansion of existing brands as well as the re-branding of several additional product lines as we seek to drive greater category awareness and even higher customer adoption.”