EMMAUS, Pa. – A popular retail chain, which bills itself as “America’s neighborhood general store,” is expanding its local footprint with a new store in Lehigh County.
A new location of Dollar General, which strives to make shopping “hassle-free and affordable” with more than 20,000 stores in 48 states, will hold a grand opening event at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at 1328 Chestnut St. in Emmaus, according to a news release.
A new location of Dollar General is pictured at 1328 Chestnut St. in Emmaus.
Ryan Kneller
To celebrate the store’s opening, Dollar General will give $10 complimentary gift cards to the first 50 adult customers and DG tote bags to the first 100 customers.
The new store will occupy an updated space that previously housed a Rite Aid location in the Emmaus Shopping Center.
“At Dollar General, we believe the addition of our new Emmaus store provides positive economic growth for the community through the creation of new jobs and career growth opportunities; increased accessibility to affordable products; the generation of tax revenue and access to Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants,” said Matthew Simonsen, Dollar General’s senior vice president of business intelligence and development.
“As part of our mission of serving others, we look forward to being a strong business partner and good neighbor, as well as welcoming customers to our new store.”
The new Emmaus store will employ approximately six to 10 employees.
“Our customers are at the center of all that we do, and meeting customers’ needs is Dollar General’s top priority when choosing store locations,” a spokesperson told 69 News.
“In selecting store sites, we take a number of factors into consideration, carefully evaluating each potential new store location to ensure we can continue to meet our customers’ price, value and selection needs. We further strive to provide convenience for customers who may not have affordable nearby retail options.”
A new location of Dollar General is pictured at 1328 Chestnut St. in Emmaus.
Ryan Kneller
Founded in 1939, Dollar General has a mission of serving others every day by providing access to affordable products and services for its customers, career opportunities for its employees, and literacy and education support for its hometown communities.
“Our stores deliver everyday low prices on items including food, snacks, health and beauty aids, cleaning supplies, basic apparel, housewares, seasonal items, paper products and much more from America’s most-trusted brands and products, along with high-quality private brands,” reads a message on the company’s website.
Dollar General Corporation operates more than 20,900 Dollar General, DG Market, DGX and pOpshelf stores across the United States and Mi Súper Dollar General stores in Mexico.
Shoppers can browse a wide assortment of everyday essentials from Dollar General’s high-quality private brands, including Clover Valley, true living, DG Home, Studio Selection, DG Health, Comfort Bay, Smart and Simple, Gentle Steps, Rexall and Forever Pals, along with products from some of the worlds most trusted brands such as Coca Cola, PepsiCo, Frito-Lay, General Mills, Hershey, J.M. Smucker, Kraft, Mars, Kellogg’s, Nestlé, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Hanes and Energizer.
“Dollar General stands for convenience, quality brands and low prices,” an online message reads.
“… We design small, neighborhood stores with carefully edited merchandise assortments to make shopping simpler. Dollar General saves time by staying focused on household essentials including paper and cleaning products, foods, over-the-counter medicines, health and beauty products, seasonal items, baby needs and more.”
On March 12, Dollar General Corporation reported financial results for its fiscal year 2025 fourth quarter that ended Jan. 30, with net sales increasing 5.9% to $10.9 billion compared to $10.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2024.
Additionally, same-store sales increased 4.3%, and operating profit increased 106.1% to $606.3 million.
Dollar General strives to be a good neighbor and is committed to the communities it calls home, evidenced by support of literacy and education initiatives through the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, according to a news release.
“The addition of the Emmaus store opens the opportunity for schools, nonprofit organizations and libraries within a 15-mile radius of the store to apply for Dollar General Literacy Foundation grants,” the release continues.
“Since its inception in 1993, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has awarded more than $275 million in grants to nonprofit organizations, helping more than 23.8 million individuals take their first steps toward literacy or continued education.”