GOODLETTSVILLE, Tenn. — Progress on a slate of initiatives to ramp up basket size and customer visits helped Dollar General post a profit and an 11.2% sales increase during the second quarter, the retailer here said last week. Dollar General posted earnings of $27.7 million on sales of $2.61 billion during the quarter, which ended Aug. 1. Dollar General and its predecessor company posted a combined $68.8 million loss in the same period last year, stemming in part from expenses related to its acquisition by a private equity group. In a conference call discussing quarterly results, Richard Dreiling, chief executive officer, said new planograms and product adjacencies, as well as a more consistent offering throughout the chain, helped boost results, while a decrease in shrink and initiatives to improve sourcing and its private label helped margin performance. Dreiling said he had a “cautious” outlook for the rest of the year, “especially with regard to discretionary sales.”

Read More of Today's Headlines