Dive Brief:

• Dollar General has named 11 people to executive positions — moves that include the appointment of a trio of new senior vice presidents who will oversee the discounter’s real estate, private label and distribution departments, respectively, according to a Tuesday press release sent by email.
• The appointments also include eight new vice presidents, who will handle roles in distribution, store operations, merchandising, human resources and information technology, Dollar General said.
• Dollar General is beefing up its leadership ranks as the chain rapidly expands its store fleet and looks to strengthen its financial performance.

Dive Insight:

Dollar General’s newly minted senior vice presidents are taking on responsibilities that reflect key priorities for the company, which has lately been focusing on enhancing its private brand operations and bolstering its self-distribution capabilities as it adds locations at a rapid clip.

The retailer’s new senior vice president of real estate and development, Matthew Simonsen, is ascending to his latest position after serving as Dollar General’s vice president of real estate. He became part of the company’s real estate division in 2020 following a series of roles in store operations, procurement, pricing, business analytics and merchandising planning. Simonsen joined Dollar General in 2013 and previously worked for 7-Eleven, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Jackie Li, whom Dollar General has named as senior vice president of private brands and global sourcing, is also moving up in the company. Li, who arrived at Dollar General in 2018 and has been serving as vice president and chief global sourcing officer, is involved in activities such as the company’s non-consumable initiative and its effort to expand into healthcare, the announcement noted. Li formerly worked for arts and crafts retailer Michaels, according to his profile on LinkedIn.

While Dollar General chose internal candidates to fill the positions it has assigned to Simonsen and Li, the company recruited its new senior vice president of distribution, Andrew Newkirk, from outside the company. Newkirk, who according to LinkedIn most recently worked for convenience store food supplier Core-Mark, will oversee half of Dollar General's distribution network, the retailer said.

Dollar General’s round of corporate appointments also includes the promotion of Kimberly Huffman and Charlotte Hutchins, both of whom are rising to the position of vice president of human resources. In addition, the retailer promoted Tyler Hickman to be vice president and division merchandise manager, and Craig Marsh to the role of vice president of information technology.

Dollar General also named three vice presidents of distribution as part of its string of executive appointments. Matt Lucas, who has been with the company since 2013, was promoted to his new position, while Rebecca Powers and Monty Williams have joined Dollar General from outside the company to take on their roles as vice presidents. Powers formerly worked for Foot Locker, while Williams most recently served at Amazon, according to the executives’ LinkedIn profiles.

In addition, Dollar General has brought on Mary Beth Hawthorne as vice president of store operations for the northeast region. Hawthorne previously served as a vice president at Sally Beauty, according to her LinkedIn profile.

The 11 newly appointed executives are settling into their positions as Dollar General moves aggressively ahead to expand its presence across the United States. The retailer, which already has more than 18,000 stores, plans to open 1,110 new locations in 2022.

But even as it grows, Dollar General has been having trouble building its revenue base. The company recorded a same-store sales decline of 0.1% in the first quarter of 2022, following a 1.4% decrease in comparable sales in the fourth quarter of 2021.