Another Day, Another Dollar

Family Dollar Stores (Matthews, N.C.) says it has opened 49 new discount stores during the four-week period ending April 7, 2001. That brings the size of the chain to 3955 stores.

Ten of the new 49 are in South Carolina, seven in Texas, four in New York, three each in Michigan and North Carolina, two each in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Oklahoma and one each inArizona, Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Virginia and Wisconsin.

The retailer has been building its empire by aiming its small neighborhood stores at middle-income customers in rural and urban areas in 39 states. It says its target customer is a woman shopping for a family that makes less than $25,000 a year. It offers discounted prices for clothing, food, health and beauty supplies, automotive supplies, housewares and school supplies. Last month, the company reported a 10 percent rise in fiscal second-quarter profits and a 21 percent sales increase.