Dollar General expands savings

With 12,719 stores in 43 states, Dollar General is known to be a great place to stretch a buck.

And now the chain has five big changes coming this year, announced recently by CEO Todd Vasos.

Fresh produce is being expanded: Dollar General has been doing fresh produce in its Dollar General Market stores since 2003, but they represent only about 1 percent of the company’s portfolio. Now Dollar General is ready to push the fresh produce envelope even further. Look for it in about 100 more of stores this year.

Health and beauty aids are getting a push: The health and beauty aids section will get a redesign in select stores. Tying into that, Dollar General recently launched a free online and limited print publication called Beautycents Magazine, which offers beauty and health advice, how-to guides and affordable fashion.

Twinkies ice cream: You can now get a pint of ice cream featuring Hostess CupCakes, Sno Balls and the iconic Twinkies exclusively at Dollar General. But their monopoly on the pints will only last for a few weeks before they arrive at convenience stores.

More DGX stores for millennials: Dollar General is making a play to reach millennials in metro areas with a new store format that’s hip, young and fresh. It’s called DGX. These 3,400-square-foot spaces marry Dollar General’s traditional merchandise with a quick-serve mentality. So you can pick up sandwiches alongside merchandise in the home, electronics and seasonal categories.

It’s still a deal: Retail consulting firm Kantar recently named Dollar General one of the two cheapest retailers in the country, alongside Walmart. In fact, Dollar General was 99 cents cheaper than Walmart on 11 staples.