Dollar General Senior Management Appointments.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 1, 1999--Dollar General Corporation (NYSE:DG) announced the appointment of Earl Weissert as Executive Vice President of Operations and Jeff Sims as Vice President of Logistics.

"Our senior management team believes there is significant growth potential for our stores that we have not yet tapped," said Cal Turner, Jr., Chairman, President & CEO. "In providing for that growth, we must methodically promote existing management talent and also aggressively recruit needed management talent with our values. Positioning Earl Weissert and Jeff Sims on our team accomplishes that; they are two powerhouse retailing talents who will assist the best management team in retailing be even more effective.

"Earl Weissert's development will eventually position him as responsible for the day-to-day management of store operations, merchandising and distribution. We believe he has the experience and the kind of "get after it" attitude that will make him an ideal fit for that role at Dollar General.

"Earl will work very closely with Leigh Stelmach, in anticipation of Leigh's eventual transition into retirement. Earl is very fortunate to have someone like Leigh to serve as his mentor. Leigh can teach anyone a thing or two about retailing, but, more importantly, it is what Leigh knows about retailing at Dollar General that will serve Earl well.

"Jeff Sims' endearing common sense approach almost disguises the fact that he is one of the top logistics experts in retailing. We are confident he will make considerable contributions to our management of merchandise flow."

Weissert has been in retailing for more than 35 years. Prior to joining Dollar General, he was Senior Vice President of Store Operations for Zellers Discount Stores, a $5 billion chain of stores in Canada. His experience also includes serving as Executive Vice President of Marketing, Merchandising and Operations for Montgomery Ward's Lechmere division. During his tenure with F&M Distributors, from 1986 to 1995, Weissert's responsibilities included store operations, distribution, real estate, finance, MIS and human resources. Weissert attended the University of Pittsburgh.

Sims joins Dollar General from Hills Department Stores, where he served as Senior Vice President of Logistics. Prior to that, Sims served as Vice President of Logistics for Thorn Services International (a chain of 1,350 rent-to-own stores with six distribution centers) and for Lesco, Inc. (a manufacturer and distributor of industrial products operating 190 stores and nine distribution centers). His career includes three years as an Assistant Professor of Marketing & Logistics at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Sims was graduated from the University of Alabama with both a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters in Business Administration. He received his Ph.D. in Marketing & Logistics from Michigan State.

Dollar General is a chain of more than 3,687 neighborhood stores operating in 24 states, with distribution centers in Kentucky, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Virginia.