Dollar General eyes N.H. expansion

Dollar General, the nation’s largest chain of “small-box” stores that has faced some resistance in expanding to communities in New Hampshire, is planning to beef up its New Hampshire presence in 2012.The Goodlettsville, Tenn.-based company said it plans to open 625 new stores in 2012, about 80 of which will open in four new markets — New Hampshire, California, Nevada and Connecticut.The company did not say how many of those 80 stores it is planning for the Granite State, nor did it specify where the new stores would be located. A company spokesperson did not return calls by deadline.Dollar General operates nearly 10,000 stores in 38 states, including one location in New Hampshire, on East Hollis Street in Nashua.The company tends to move its stores into communities of fewer than 20,000 people, filling the gap in places that are “overlooked by larger retailers,” it said.In those communities, the company said, it likes “to build our stores close to neighborhoods, so no one has to drive far to find us.”Dollar General sells name-brand items, including laundry detergent, toilet paper, shampoo, socks, dry foods, and beverages. It claims to have pioneered the “one-dollar-only” concept and said that about a quarter of its merchandise still sells for a dollar or less. — KATHLEEN CALLAHAN/NEW HAMPSHIRE BUSINESS REVIEW