Hard discounter owns largest store network in US
US hard discounter Dollar General opened its 8,000th store on Friday in Mission, Texas, cementing its position as the format with the largest number of company-owned and company-operated stores in the US.

Founded in 1955, the Tennessee-based company has shot to prominence along with rivals such as Family Dollar and Supervalu in recent years as the hard- discount phenomenon has taken off in the US, mirroring the emergence of Lidl and Aldi in Europe.

Although it trades only in the US, Dollar General has not ruled out bringing its format to Europe and would probably test the market in the UK.

'This is an exciting time for the Dollar General family as we celebrate the opening of our 8,000th store,' said chairman and chief executive officer David Perdue. 'Our drive to make Dollar General the best it can be continues into 2006 and beyond.'