A Major Retailer Looks to Expand

Dollar General Corp. is one of the nation’s largest small-box discount retailers. The company operates more than 12,000 stores in 43 states, and currently employs more than 109,000 people. When deciding on a site for a new 1-million-square-foot distribution center, the company considered locations in three Midwest states. Chief among the company’s criteria for selecting a location was the cost of doing business at the site, including up-front expenses. Negotiations with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), as well as local and county representatives, produced an incentive package that ultimately drew Dollar General’s commitment to Wisconsin.

The Janesville location will be the company’s 14th distribution center nationwide. The new facility is expected to hire 552 full-time employees by 2019 in fulfillment of a regional expansion strategy. It is being built within Janesville’s Highway 11 Business Park, which provides ready access to major transportation lines and has the added benefit of being a Certified In Wisconsin® location.

Path for Growth Leads to Wisconsin

WEDC’s Certified In Wisconsin Program provides potential tenants with all the information required to make quick decisions about whether a site meets their needs, such as utility and transportation infrastructure, environmental assessments and quality of labor force. WEDC covers part of the cost for sites to become certified through the program, so that companies considering locating in Wisconsin will have a list of suitable site options at their fingertips.

In addition to being located on a Certified Site, the Dollar General project will benefit from $5.5 million in performance-based tax credits through WEDC’s Enterprise Zone Tax Credit Program, which gives preference to areas of the state with the greatest economic need and targets projects with significant capital investment and job creation potential. The City of Janesville is considering two Tax Increment Financing Development Agreements, and the project will also benefit from a State Transportation Economic Assistance grant.

(September 2015)