Dollar General expands home offering with celebrity brands, designers

Dive Brief:

Dollar General has teamed up with multiple celebrities, brands and designers to introduce new home goods products and collections, the discount retailer announced Thursday. 
The retailer’s “Home Valley” section will feature products from Kathy Ireland’s Ki by Kathy Ireland, Betseyville, Beverly Hills Polo Club and Simply Belle by Simply Southern.
Ki by Kathy Ireland is launching into over 20,000 stores this summer. Items include throws for $12, sheet sets for $15 and a three-piece comforter set for $35. The retailer plans to add another collection from Kathy Ireland this fall, according to the press release. 

Dive Insight:

Dollar General continues to build out its product assortment.

With its new home collections, the discount chain wants to reach shoppers seeking affordable, quality items from noteworthy brands “through a treasure hunt experience,” the company said in a statement. 

“Dollar General is committed to offering our customers a constant flow of exciting industry brands that amplify the surprise element of our non-consumable initiative,” Johanna Blankush, senior vice president and general merchandising manager at Dollar General, said in a statement. “We are dedicated to delivering exceptional value to our customers while staying on top of the latest trends.”

Additional products in the company’s name-brand home push include seasonal throws from Betseyville, sheets from Beverly Hills Polo Club, Faberware flatware and hydration items from Simply Belle by Simply Southern, Hydraflow and Manna Hydration. 

The company recently announced that it expanded its Dolly Parton kitchen and housewares collection after a successful release of its first product line with the singer last summer. Dollar General will also debut a Dolly Parton summer entertaining collection and a Christmas collection for the holiday season. 

Earlier this year, the company said it planned to add roughly 100 new private brand items, with a focus on its Clover Valley grocery brand.

Alongside a rollout of new products, Dollar General is reshaping some of its store fleet. In March, the retailer said it would close 96 of its namesake stores and 45 Popshelf stores. The company also planned to convert six Popshelf stores to Dollar General locations, further shrinking the footprint of its higher-end store concept.

Dollar General’s home goods expansion follows the company’s first-quarter results last week. Net sales in Q1 saw a 5.3% bump year over year to $10.4 billion. Net income grew almost 8% to $392 million compared to the year-ago quarter. Continuing its store overhaul, the company said it plans to remodel roughly 20% of its fleet annually.