Dollar General Elevates Employee Training Strategy
America's fastest-growing food retailer, Dollar General (DG), has signed a deal to bring innovation to its workforce development program just as the company jump-starts a massive hiring push.
Dollar General has a signed a deal with Axonify to leverage its training platform and Content Marketplace to enable continuous personalized business learning and development to its more than 157,000 front-line, supply chain and corporate employees.
“In an effort to continue to innovate our training initiatives, we required a modern learning partner that offered personalized, scalable training that fits within the flow of work, engages employees and supports the business while reducing time to train,” said Lori Bremer, Dollar General's VP of talent management. “Axonify’s front-line-forward vision was a natural fit for DG as we strive to empower our associates to deliver the very best customer experience.”
Axonify, a leading workforce platform used by other food retailers, will enable Dollar General to measure how training knowledge is being applied on the job, helping the retailer align employee learning with business objectives. The mobile-enabled Axonify platform will allow Dollar General to employ a people-first device strategy through existing systems and mobile devices.
“Dollar General’s mission of Serving Others, and thereby serving its employees, is absolutely commendable, and we are proud to further support that mission as a critical partner,” said Carol Leaman, co-founder and CEO of Waterloo, Ontario-based Axonify. “Whether onboarding a new sales associate, rolling out a new technology or product, or communicating company policies, a modern approach to training that evolves from a one-size-fits-all method is critical for today’s front-line employees.”
Last week, Dollar General said that it's planning to hire as many as 20,000 new employees this spring and will host in-person and virtual hiring events through April 23 to support ongoing efforts across its store, distribution, transportation and corporate operations. Dollar General is opening at least 1,050 stores this year as it approaches operating more than 18,000 stores in the United States. The company employs more than 158,000 workers; this new hiring push will grow its workforce by 13%.
The retailer’s plans for 2021 include continued expansion and expectations that sales growth is unlikely given comparison against 2021’s incredibly strong results. Dollar General affirmed plans to execute 2,900 real estate projects, including 1,050 new store openings; 1,750 store remodels; and 100 store relocations. That compares with 1,000 new stores; 1,670 remodels; and 110 relocations in 2020, a number including up to 3,000 Popshelf stores.
“As a rapidly growing company, we are proud to provide individuals with opportunities to start or advance their careers while serving as a positive economic presence in each community we call home,” said Kathy Reardon, Dollar General’s EVP and chief people officer. The power of coupling our mission of Serving Others with one of our key operating priorities, investing in our diverse teams through development, empowerment and inclusion, makes DG an employer of choice, and we look forward to welcoming new employees to come grow with our DG family this spring.”
Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based Dollar General operates more than 17,000 stores in 46 states, employing approximately 140,000 associates. The company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
More than 160 customers in 150-plus countries around the world, including Walmart, Levi's and Merck, leverage Axonify to fuel their people's performance to keep pace with their businesses.
