Dollar General will hire 20,000 workers

(CNN) — Dollar General plans to hire 20,000 workers this spring as the discount chain continues its expansion during the pandemic.

The company said Wednesday it’s looking to hire full- and part-time workers in stores and distribution centers, as well as drivers for its private-trucking fleet. Dollar General does not disclose its minimum wage for workers, but says it provides “competitive wages and benefits.”

Dollar General has more than 17,000 US stores and employed 158,000 as of February 26. The chain has thrived in the past decade and is opening 1,050 stores this year, similar to the number of stores it has opened in each of the past several years. This latest hiring spree will expand Dollar General’s workforce by 13%.

The company’s hiring plans were emblematic of the growth of discount stores and Dollar General’s market-share gains, Corey Tarlowe, an analyst at Jefferies, said in a note to clients Wednesday.

Although many retailers struggled during the pandemic, Dollar General boomed as economically strapped shoppers turned to discount stores for food and household essentials.

Dollar General’s sales at stores open for at least one year grew 16.3% in 2020, compared with the year prior, and profit increased 55%.

The company said last month it plans to open an additional 17,000 stores in the United States — doubling its store total — over the long haul. That number includes up to 3,000 Popshelf stores that target wealthier shoppers than the company’s core customer base.

Rival Dollar Tree said last week it is hiring thousands of workers to staff stores and distribution centers as it grows. Dollar Tree will open 600 new stores this year.