By Michael Calia 

Dollar Tree Inc. said Monday that it expects to reach a deal by the end of this month with the Federal Trade Commission over how many stores it must divest to complete its $8.5 billion acquisition of Family Dollar Stores Inc.

The discount retailer said it believes it will need to divest fewer than 300 stores after the FTC provided it with a list of about 300 stores that apparently raise antitrust concerns.

Dollar Tree said it expects several stores to be removed from the FTC's list due to adjustments to the company's pricing model, and that a small number of other stores might be added due to Family Dollar Stores that adjust their prices at least partly based on the presence of Dollar Tree stores.

Dollar Tree added that it has identified potential buyers for stores that would have to be divested and that it expects to present a list to the FTC for approval within a month.

The update comes after Family Dollar shareholders pushed back a vote on the deal for a second time to give Dollar General time to try to convince Family Dollar to accept its $9.1 billion all-cash offer. On Monday, Family Dollar urged shareholders to vote for the Dollar Tree deal at the Jan. 22 special meeting, warning that Dollar Tree is not willing to agree to further adjournments.

Dollar General made an unsolicited bid over the summer after Family Dollar and Dollar Tree announced their agreement. Family Dollar has resisted Dollar General's offers because of regulatory concerns over the amount of stores it would have to close to meet antitrust requirements. Dollar General has offered to divest about 1,500 stores.

The FTC has been reviewing both potential transactions.

Write to Michael Calia at michael.calia@wsj.com

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