EAST PROVIDENCE – Three of the former Benny’s stores, in East Providence and Seekonk will be converted to Dollar General stores, a national discount retailer that is undergoing rapid expansion.
The Seekonk locations on Taunton and Central avenues are leased and will share two tenants: Ace Hardware and Dollar General. Both facilities will be renovated, and the original Benny’s divided to accommodate the two companies.
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May to June 2019 openings are anticipated for both Massachusetts stores, according to Gregg Perry, a spokesman for the Carpionato Group LLC, which purchased the sites from Benny’s this year.
An additional East Providence store near Kent Heights, at 2710 Pawtucket Ave., has been fully leased to Dollar General as a single tenant, Perry said.
Due to the condition of that building, Carpionato has proposed to demolish the structure and build new on-site, if the East Providence authorities agree. The timeline is uncertain.
The two Seekonk stores will be renovated to become fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Collectively, they will employ 30 people, Perry said.
Dollar General, in particular, has expanded nationally in the past several years, appealing to consumers with discount prices and expanded store offerings, including fresh foods.
The company plans to open 975 new stores and remodel another 1,000 in 2019, according to the Wall Street Journal. In Rhode Island, it entered the market in 2015 with a store in Cranston and has since added nine more locations.
Among them is the former site of a competitor, Family Dollar, at 52 Newport Ave., East Providence, near the Pawtucket line. Dollar General is holding a daylong hiring event at the location on Jan. 2, according to an advertisement.
The company had 15,227 stores in 33 states as of Nov. 2, according to a company statement.
Mary MacDonald is a staff writer for the PBN. Contact her at macdonald@pbn.com.
