Dive Brief:

• Dollar General held the grand opening of its first distribution facility designed around the company’s traditional and DG Fresh supply chain models, according to a Saturday announcement.
• The new distribution center encompasses approximately 1 million square feet and is expected to create over 400 new jobs. 
• The opening of the Blair, Nebraska, center reflects Dollar General’s plans to bolster its fresh and frozen food offerings as well as grow its supply chain capacity.

Dive Insight:

This new distribution center, which represents an approximately $140 million investment in Washington County, will support more than 1,000 Dollar General stores once it is at full capacity, the announcement stated. 

The dual functionality of the new distribution center supports Dollar General’s growth in its fresh and frozen product offerings, which make up the bulk of the DG Fresh selection. By next January, the retailer aims to have produce in 5,000 locations, an initiative the company plans to support through the introduction of larger stores that can accommodate more fresh products.

These new food offerings work in tandem with Dollar General’s supply chain expansion plan announced in May. 

So far this year, Dollar General has opened permanent regional distribution hubs in Newnan, Georgia, and Fort Worth, Texas, that combined add 2 million square feet in storage capacity to the company’s distribution network. The retailer also announced its Jonesville, South Carolina, distribution center received a 250,000-square-foot addition that was completed this past spring.