Dollar General Unveils Toy Discount Ahead of Holiday Season

Dollar General Corp. (DG) unveiled a 10% discount on toy
purchases of $75 or more ahead of the holidays, as the company looks to
boost sales during the critical season for retailers.
The discount
chain also added more licensed and name-brand items to its holiday toy
line-up, including toys from Mattel Inc. (MAT), Walt Disney Co. (DIS)
and Hasbro Inc. (HAS). Many toys offered by Dollar General are priced
between $3 and $20.
The toy discount will run from Saturday to Dec. 24.
"Dollar
General is committed to helping customers stretch their holiday
budgets, and one way we are doing this is with the holiday toy discount,
" said Todd Vasos, the company's chief merchandising officer.
He
added the discount would also be geared toward nonprofits to help with
annual toy drives. The company said it will host in-store toy drives and
donate $100,000 to Toys for Tots.
The retailer of low-cost goods
has posted higher profits recently as it opened new stores and started
stocking better-known brands on it shelves. The company has also been
experimenting with bigger stores while also refurbishing old ones.
This
month, Dollar General said its fiscal second-quarter earnings surged as
the retailer had strong sales across all its segments, including a
double-digit rise in consumable goods.
Shares were down 2.7% at
$51.45, after the company disclosed an offering of 30 million shares by
Dollar General shareholders. The stock is up 25% so far this year.
Write to Ben Fox Rubin at ben.rubin@dowjones.com
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