GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Dollar General Corp.’s large format stores are boosting the chain’s basket size, says chairman and chief executive officer Rick Dreiling.

Dollar General Corp.’s large format stores are boosting the chain’s basket size, says chairman and chief executive officer Rick Dreiling.

The retailer opened 128 stores in its first quarter ended May 4, including seven of the larger outlets, Dreiling said in a conference call. The “plus” stores have about 10,000 square feet with an expanded cooler section for convenience, wider aisles for greater ease of shopping and increased linear space for a better in-stock position.

Dreiling also noted that the chain added another 20 of the plus units and 12 Dollar General Market formats through the remodeling or relocation of 224 stores in the quarter. It opened 11 new outlets in California and added its first in Massachusetts, giving it 10,052 stores in 40 states at the quarter’s end.

The retailer made great strides in the fifth phase of a category management initiative aimed at optimizing shelf space to reflect demand in stores based on geography, demographics and actual customer experience, Dreiling added. The chain began testing the concept last year and has already recast more than 5,000 ­planograms.

"This is a multiyear initiative designed to drive productive sales growth that our store managers and teams are excited about implementing for our customers," Dreiling remarked.