CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Bonita Price is senior vice president of merchandising for the Family Dollar unit of Dollar Tree Inc., where she is responsible for the strategic direction of the company’s nonconsumables businesses across some 7,900 stores.

Price oversees the brand’s discretionary categories, including home, general merchandise, seasonal and apparel.

“My mission is to help our customers ‘do more’ by making it easier and less expensive to shop in our stores,” she explains. “My team and I strive to give customers more time to spend with their families by making it more convenient to shop in our stores, and we aim to provide ways for them to purchase more everyday essentials for their families by providing incredible value. I’m most proud of the work our teams have done to build more diverse product assortments that reflect the diverse community of customers we serve every day.”

Price joined the company in 2018 as vice president and general merchandise manager for Family Dollar’s apparel business, where she led a business transformation that is credited for improving the unit’s sales, profitability and inventory turnover.

Price says her passion for developing high-quality, affordable products for customers in underserved communities is what has motivated her throughout a career in value retailing that spans more than a ­quarter-century.

Bonita Price

Previous retail experience includes positions at Payless Shoe Source, Ashley Stewart and TJX. Price earned her bachelor’s degree in finance from Fairfield University.

“One of the biggest highlights of my career thus far is all the incredibly talented people I have had the privilege of working with over the years who have challenged and guided me to be a better merchant and leader,” she says. “Some of these business relationships, especially those that I developed early in my career, have evolved into long lasting friendships that I cherish today. In turn, one of the lessons I learned early on that continues to be valuable today is to be open to networking. Meeting new people and learning from them has helped me evolve into the businesswoman that I am today.”

In addition to her primary responsibilities at Dollar Tree, Price is member of the company’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council and chairs its customer committee.

Additionally, she serves as executive sponsor of an associate resource group supporting African American associates, and she also sits on the board of trustees for the Southeast region of the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.