Dollar General Enters Oregon, Maine and Rhode Island

Discount retailer Dollar General is opening stores in three new markets—Oregon, Maine and Rhode Island—bringing its state count to 43.

The new stores will be in the towns of Lewiston and North Berwick in Maine; Winston and Brookings in Oregon; and Tiverton and Cranston in Rhode Island.

“It’s very exciting to move into these new states and grow the Dollar General brand,” said CEO Rick Dreiling in a statement. “Increasing Dollar General’s footprint in these states gives us a presence and opens further growth opportunities in both the Northeast and Pacific Northwest where we see tremendous growth potential for Dollar General.”

The company was founded in Kentucky in 1939 as J.L. Turner and Son Wholesale. In 1955, The Turner department store changed its name to Dollar General Store and charged no more than one dollar for any item. The company went public in 1968 and by 1977, sales exceeded $100 million a year. Dollar General opened its 5,000th store in 2001 and its 11,000th in 2013. The retailer currently operates about 11,700 stores.