First of the new stores will open in Nashville

GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp. announced plans to open the first of its new small-format stores early next year in Nashville.

The new format, tentatively branded DGX, aims to serve busy metropolitan shoppers with everyday-low prices on the essentials they need in a convenient, easy-to-shop format, the company said in a statement on Wednesday.

With a sales floor of approximately 3,400 square feet, DGX will offer customers more items geared toward immediate consumption, and it will include a soda fountain, coffee station and grab-and-go sandwiches, the company announced.

Additional items are expected to include a limited assortment of grocery offerings, pet supplies, candies and snacks, paper products, home cleaning supplies, and an expanded health and beauty section. The store also is expected to feature items that are not typically found in quick-trip stores, including a carefully edited assortment of home, electronics and seasonal offerings. Finally, the store will include a checkout lane geared toward high volume and smaller basket size, with the goal of providing quick and easy check out for customers.

Dollar General is planning a second DGX concept store, in Raleigh, N.C.