Dollar General Reports Increased April Sales; Opens 59 New
Stores; Announces First Quarter Conference Call and Web Cast of Annual Meeting
Of Shareholders
GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn., May 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Dollar General
Corporation today reported total retail sales for the April four- week period
ended April 30, 2004, equaled $541.1 million compared with $490.3 million last
year, an increase of 10.4 percent. Same-store sales for the April period
increased 2.1 percent compared with a 5.9 percent increase in the prior year
April period. The average customer purchase in April was approximately $8.34
compared to $8.35 in the same period last year. Customer transactions in
same-stores increased approximately 2.8 percent.
April sales by major merchandise category are as follows: FY 2004 FY 2003 Est. Same-Store
Percent of Sales Percent of Sales Sales Change
Highly Consumable 63% 62% +4%
Seasonal 16% 17% -2%
Home Products 12% 12% +1%
Basic Clothing 9% 9% -1% For the thirteen-week period ended April 30, 2004, Dollar General total retail
sales increased 11.4 percent to $1.7 billion from $1.6 billion for the
thirteen-week period ended May 2, 2003. Same-store sales for the thirteen-
week period increased 3.0 percent.
New Store Openings The Company opened 59 stores in 19 states during the four-week period ended
April 30, 2004. The 59 newest store locations include 10 in Texas; five each in
Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina; four each in North Carolina and
Wisconsin; three each in Florida, Mississippi and Tennessee; two each in
Missouri, New York and Ohio; and one each in Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The Company closed three stores during the
period. Year-to-date, the Company has opened 244 stores and closed 14.
Earnings Conference Call Information Dollar General is scheduled to announce earnings for the first quarter ended
April 30, 2004, on Thursday, May 27, 2004. The Company will host a conference
call on Thursday, May 27, 2004, at 10 a.m. EDT to discuss the quarter's
results. The security code for the conference call is "Dollar General." If
you wish to participate, please call (334) 260-2280 at least 10 minutes before
the conference call is scheduled to begin. The call will also be broadcast
live online at http://www.dollargeneral.com/ . A replay of the conference call
will be available until 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, June 10, online or by calling
(334) 323-7226. The access code for the replay is 40954 and the pass code is
86362.
Annual Meeting of Shareholders Web cast Information Dollar General also plans to Web cast its Annual Meeting of Shareholders on
Tuesday, May 25, 2004, at 10:00 a.m. CDT/11:00 a.m. EDT. The Web cast will be
available live on Dollar General's Web site at http://www.dollargeneral.com/ by
clicking on the home page spotlight item with a replay available until 5:00
p.m. EDT on June 10, 2004.
About Dollar General Dollar General is a Fortune 500(R) discount retailer with 6,930 neighborhood
stores as of April 30, 2004. Dollar General stores offer convenience and value
to customers by offering consumable basic items that are frequently used and
replenished, such as food, snacks, health and beauty aids and cleaning
supplies, as well as a selection of basic apparel, housewares and seasonal
items at everyday low prices. The Company store support center is located in
Goodlettsville, Tennessee. Dollar General's Web site can be reached at
http://www.dollargeneral.com/ . DATASOURCE: Dollar General Corporation CONTACT: Emma Jo Kauffman of Dollar General Corporation, +1-615-855-5525 Web site: http://www.dollargeneral.com/
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