Dollar General certainly isn't the first retailer to attempt to drive more traffic to its stores using fuel pumps. But the fact that the nation's largest dollar store chain is testing a gas station for the first time is significant. Should it succeed, Dollar General will have another asset to draw shoppers away from competitive channels.
"Dollar General continues to innovate to provide convenience and value for our customers," said Rick Dreiling, chairman and CEO, in a statement. "This project to test a fuel offering is consistent with our strategy of continually looking for new and better ways to meet our customers' needs for value and convenience and enhancing our position as America's general store."
The test in Hanceville, AL comes as part of a deal with Mansfield Oil. Dollar General and Mansfield will evaluate the results of the pilot over the next year to determine if the concept makes sense to expand to other locations. Dollar General currently operates more than 11,000 stores in 40 states.