Dollar General Corporation is an American small-box discount retailer, based in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.
The company focuses on offering everyday prices in small, convenient locations, with both name brand and generic merchandise, primarily in the southern, southwestern, midwestern and eastern United States.
Its stores are located in a variety of rural, suburban and urban communities, currently. However, the vast majority are in small communities, with approximately 70% of stores serving communities with populations of fewer than 20,000.
Although it has the word “dollar” in its name, Dollar General is not a dollar store – few of its products are priced at one dollar.
Dollar General stores sell basic packaged and refrigerated food and dairy products, housewares, hardware and automotive supplies, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, health and beauty care items, paper products, greeting cards, among others.
It was founded by Cal Turner Sr. and J.L. Turner in 1939 by Cal Turner Sr. and his father J.L. Turner in Scottsville, Kentucky, under the name J.L. Turner and Son, Wholesale. The company was incorporated as a Kentucky corporation as J.L. Turner & Son, Inc. in 1955. The company changed its name to Dollar General Corporation in 1968 and reincorporated in 1998 as a Tennessee corporation.
Dollar General Corporation is publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the stock ticker symbol ‘DG’.
Overview
- Chairman and CEO: Richard W. Dreiling
- CFO: David M. Tehle
- Type: Public
- Industry: Retail
- Publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE)
- NYSE stock ticker symbol: DG
- S&P 500 Component
- Revenue: $17.504 billion USD (2013)
- Net income: $1.025 billion USD (2013)
- Diluted earnings per share: $3.17 USD (2013)
- Founded: 1939
- Founder(s): Cal Turner Sr. and J.L. Turner
- Employees: 100,600 (2013)
- Corporate headquarters: 100 Mission Ridge, Goodlettsville, TN 37072, USA
- Corporate contact number: (615) 855-4000
- Website: http://www.dollargeneral.com/
| Operating data (in $ thousands) | 2014 (ended January 31) | 2013 (ended February 1) |
| Net sales | $17,504,167 | $16,022,128 |
| Cost of goods sold | $12,068,425 | $10,936,727 |
| Gross profit | $5,435,742 | $5,085,401 |
| Selling, general and administrative expenses | $3,699,557 | $3,430,125 |
| Operating profit | $1,736,185 | $1,655,276 |
| Interest expense | $88,984 | $127,926 |
| Other (income) expense | $18,871 | $29,956 |
| Income before income taxes | $1,628,330 | $1,497,394 |
| Income tax expense | $603,214 | $544,732 |
| Net income | $1,025,116 | $952,662 |
| Comprehensive income | $1,018,144 | $954,915 |
| Balance sheet data (in $ thousands) | ||
| Total assets | $10,867,524 | $10,367,682 |
| Long-term obligations | $2,742,788 | $2,771,336 |
| Total shareholders’ equity | $5,402,193 | $4,985,330 |
| Cash flow data (in $ thousands) | ||
| Net cash provided by operating activities | $1,213,065 | $1,131,352 |
| Net cash used in investing activities | $(249,978) | $(569,836) |
| Net cash used in financing activities | $(598,330) | $(546,833) |
| Cash and cash equivalents at end of period | $505,566 | $140,809 |
| Common share data (in $) | ||
| Basic earnings (loss) per common share | $3.17 | $2.87 |
| Diluted earnings (loss) per common share | $3.17 | $2.85 |
Source: “Dollar General Corporation 2013 Annual Report”