Charleston Gazette – A major acquisition in the burgeoning field of discount stores may not have much effect for local residents. Read
On Monday, Dollar Tree agreed to buy Family Dollar Stores for $8.5 billion. The move will see the merger of two of the nation’s biggest discount retail stores, although Dollar Tree officials said they plan to continue to operate Family Dollar as an independent brand.
Together, the two companies have more than 13,000 stores in the United States and Canada. Dollar General, their largest competitor in the discount store arena, has about 11,300 stores. Larger chains like Wal-Mart and Kroger have been opening smaller stores as well, in an attempt to compete with discount stores.
