LEWISTON — More dollar stores are coming.
Eight new stores — four Family Dollars and four Dollar Generals — are being planned for locations in Lewiston, Auburn, Turner, Sabattus and Greene.
“There is a market for these types of stores in Maine,” said David Hediger, deputy director of Lewiston’s Planning and Code Enforcement Department. “And apparently, they like to be in close proximity with each other.”
A new 8,300-square-foot Family Dollar store is under construction at 964 Sabattus St. in Lewiston, where earth-moving equipment has dug up the corner at North Temple Street. Sometime this summer, work is expected to begin six-tenths of a mile to the east at 1079 Sabattus St., where a new, 9,100-square-foot Dollar General store is slated to go up.
Two more stores are going up in Sabattus.
“It’s literally down the road,” Hediger said.
And 2.8 miles from the Lewiston Dollar General, Family Dollar is planning a store at the corner of Sabattus Road and Middle Street, where Routes 9 and 126 intersect. Eight-tenths of a mile farther down Sabattus Road, Dollar General is planning a store at the Pleasant Hill Road corner.
In Auburn, one of each store is planned near the corner of Minot Avenue and Hotel Road.
In Greene, Family Dollar plans to build a store on Route 202 near the IGA.
And in Turner, Dollar General plans to build a store on Route 117 near the post office and the intersection with Route 4.
Planners across the area — including Roland Miller, Auburn’s director of economic development, and Ken Pratt, Greene code enforcement officer — say they are surprised by the sudden development of so many “small-box” stores.
And the two companies are not connected.
Family Dollar, which has operated stores in the area for several years, is based in Charlotte, N.C., and has more than 7,900 locations in 46 states.
Based in Goodlettsville, Tenn., Dollar General is even bigger, with an estimated 11,000 stores in 40 states. It currently has no stores in Maine, according to its website.
Both stores appear to put similar products on their shelves.
The Sun Journal was unable to speak with a spokesperson for Dollar General, despite repeated phone calls.
A spokesman for Family Dollar, Cliff Cermak, declined to talk about the almost side-by-side growth of the stores, saying there are 49 stores in Maine and that the company aims to locate stores close to where people live and work.
“Our real estate team utilizes sophisticated modeling software to determine ideal sites for Family Dollar stores,” he said. “We’re thrilled about our continued growth in Maine, and we look forward to continuing to provide residents in Maine with everyday low prices on their favorite items.”
Family Dollar recently announced it was closing 370 of its existing locations. The company has not confirmed which, if any, Maine stores would be affected. Construction on a new, 8,320-square-foot Family Dollar store on Main Street in Paris is expected to begin May 1.
dhartill@sunjournal.com
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- Crews from L.P. Poirier & Son Excavation Inc. prepare the land for a new 8,300-square-foot Family Dollar store at the corner of Sabattus and North Temple Streets in Lewiston.
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- Crews from L.P. Poirier & Son Excavation prepare the land for an 8,300-square-foot Family Dollar store at the corner of Sabattus and North Temple Streets in Lewiston.
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