According to the NPD Group, one quarter of the shoppers at three of the top dollar store chains are Millennials from households earning $100,000 per year.

Stakeholders in the convenience industry are watching Dollar General’s latest foray in to the c-store channel with its new pilot location, which officially opened in Nashville at the end of January.

Dollar General’s new small-format banner, DGX, is formatted to appeal to urban millennial shoppers, according to a new Supermarket News report.

The 3,400-square-foot store, which opened in Nashville, includes offerings that you would find in a traditional c-store including grab-and-go foods, an array of beverages, snacks and other merchandise. The Tennessee location also has basic pet items and cleaning supplies.

According to the NPD Group, one quarter of the shoppers at three of the top dollar store chains are Millennials from households earning $100,000 per year or more.

SEEKING MILLENNIALS

For food and beverage stops, convenience stores are almost twice as important to Millennials—consumers ages 18 to 34—as fast-casual restaurants, which the NPD Group reported in 2015.

Convenience stores accounted for 11.1% of Millennial food and beverage stops in 2014, compared to 7.7% in 2006. By comparison, fast-casual accounted for 6.1% in 2014 vs. 3.1% in 2006, according NPD’s annual “Eating Patterns in America” study.

While DGX hasn’t been linked to any significant foodservice offerings, the new concept could provide such a platform in the future.

Goodlettsville-based Dollar General operates more than 13,000 stores in 43 states. Dollar General is planning a second location, slated to open in Raleigh-Durham, N.C. later in 2017, according to the company.