Walton, Ky. — Dollar General has unveiled plans to open a 630,000-square-foot distribution facility in Walton, Ky., approximately 20 miles south of Cincinnati and the Ohio border. The $65 million investment is expected to bring 250 jobs to the city and support 800 stores.
The Walton facility will serve as Dollar General’s 18th distribution center. Construction is scheduled to begin in September with operations to begin in January.
Dollar General also plans to build three additional DG Fresh facilities to support a shift toward self-distribution of products that require cold storage such as dairy, deli meats and frozen products. Construction is scheduled to begin this fall on a 160,000-square-foot cold storage facility in Ardmore, Okla., with completion slated for spring 2021. Similarly, construction is scheduled to begin this fall on a 160,000-square-foot cold storage property in Bowling Green, Ky., with completion slated for summer 2021.
Dollar General is currently finalizing construction of a 200,000-square-foot cold storage facility in West Sacramento, Calif., to complement its West Coast distribution operations. The property is scheduled to open this fall.
At full capacity, each of the DG Fresh facilities are expected to create approximately 65 new jobs and support roughly 1,500 stores. As of May 2020, Dollar General self-distributed to more than 9,000 stores from six DG Fresh properties.
“Dollar General’s supply chain network plays a critical role in ensuring the products customers need and want are delivered to our nearly 17,000 stores in a timely and consistent manner,” says Mike Kindy, Dollar General’s executive vice president of global supply chain.
The Northern Kentucky Tri-County Economic Development Corp. (Tri-ED) and the City of Walton worked together to bring the Walton project to the state. “We know Dollar General is a great corporate citizen and this is a long-term investment bringing new jobs into Boone County,” says Lee Crume, president and CEO of Northern Kentucky Tri-ED.
Although headquartered in Tennessee today, Dollar General originated in Kentucky as a wholesale venture in 1939. The first Dollar General store opened in Springfield, Ky., in 1955. Today, the company currently operates more than 580 stores in the Bluegrass State and employs more than 5,600 Kentuckians.
— Kristin Hiller