Rhode Island

Dollar Tree to close 1,000 stores. Will this affect any in Rhode Island?

Published

2 years ago

March 14, 2024

Dollar Tree to close 1,000 stores. Will this affect any in Rhode Island?

Dollar Tree announced Wednesday that it will close nearly 1,000 of its Family Dollar stores after the stores experienced a significant underperformance in 2023, according to a news release from the company.

Dollar Tree plans to close about 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of this year and 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores over the next several years.

What this means for Rhode Island stores remains unclear, as Dollar Tree has not yet announced which stores will close.

Counting three large chains — Dollar General, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar — plus the smaller One Dollar Zone, which has stores in six states from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, including one in Rhode Island, the Ocean State has 100 dollar stores, according to store location information on the chains’ websites.

That 100 includes three pairs of Dollar Tree and Family Dollar stores that share an address.

During the fourth quarter of 2023, Dollar Tree underwent a review of its stores performance to identify locations to close, relocate or re-banner, the company said.

“As a result of this review, we plan on closing approximately 600 Family Dollar stores in the first half of fiscal 2024. Additionally, approximately 370 Family Dollar and 30 Dollar Tree stores will close over the next several years at the end of each store’s current lease term,” the company said in the press release.

How did dollar stores start growing so fast?

The recent rapid growth of dollar stores was, to a certain extent, the result of market forces in place before the pandemic that were amplified by the fundamental shift in the economy brought about by COVID-19.

“They’re the fastest growing store format coming out of the pandemic,” Rae Coloura, a marketing professor at Providence College, told The Providence Journal in 2023.

“Stores like Dollar General, Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, they all had these pretty aggressive growth strategies, whereas Targets and Walmarts weren’t growing anymore – they might been reformatting and renovating stores, but they hadn’t really announced any major growth,” said Coloura.

What’s going to happen

Shares of Dollar Tree tumbled more than 14% Wednesday.

For the three months ended Feb. 3, Dollar Tree lost $1.71 billion, or $7.85 per share. A year earlier the Chesapeake, Virginia, company earned $452.2 million, or $2.04 per share.

Dollar Tree, a Fortune 200 Company, operated 16,774 stores across 48 states and five Canadian provinces as of Feb. 3. Stores operate under the brands of Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar Tree Canada.

Dollar Tree has not revealed when the store closures are set to begin or what states will be affected by this decision.

With reports from USATODAY and The Associated Press.

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Rhode Island

GoLocalProv | News | Gov. McKee’s Schedule for the First 10 Days of the New Year

Published

56 minutes ago

January 10, 2026

Press Room

GoLocalProv | News | Gov. McKee’s Schedule for the First 10 Days of the New Year

Saturday, January 10, 2026

GoLocalProv News Team

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Governor Dan McKee PHOTO: GoLocal

It’s a new year, filled with new challenges. The General Assembly is back in session. Rhode Island’s economy is flat at best, and according to the University of Rhode Island economist Leonard Lardaro, the state is in a recession. Rhode Island is also in daily legal conflict with the Trump administration.

Add that the state is trying to recover from a mass shooting at Brown University, which killed two students and wounded nine others.

For Governor Dan McKee, it is a critical time.

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He has announced he is running for reelection—the Democratic primary is just nine months away.

McKee’s poll numbers have plummeted to record lows.

A poll released by the University of New Hampshire in November of 2025 found that in the race for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Rhode Island, 29% of likely Democratic primary voters (N=359) say they would currently vote for former CVS executive Helena Foulkes, 13% would vote for Speaker of the RI House of Representatives Joe Shekarchi, 11% would vote for incumbent Governor Dan McKee, 6% would write in someone else, and 42% are undecided.

Is the 74-year-old McKee criss-crossing the state to reassure Rhode Islanders, listening to residents’ ideas, and sharing his vision for the state in his second term?

GoLocal offers a recap of the McKees’ public schedule for the first ten days of the month.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 10 & SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2026

No public events.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9, 2026

No public events.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2026

2:00 PM

Governor McKee will deliver remarks at the Rhode Island Interfaith Coalition to Reduce Poverty’s 18th Annual Interfaith Poverty Vigil.

LOCATION:

RI State House Rotunda

82 Smith Street

Providence, RI

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 2026

No public events.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2026

No public events.

MONDAY, JANUARY 5, 2026

9:30 AM

Governor McKee will deliver remarks at a groundbreaking ceremony for a new community learning center at the Cross’ Mills Public Library.

LOCATION:

Cross’ Mills Public Library

4417 Old Post Road

Charlestown, RI

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3 & SUNDAY, JANUARY 4, 2026

No public events.

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2, 2026

11:00 AM

Governor McKee will join members of Rhode Island’s Congressional Delegation and local and state leaders for a rally hosted by Climate Action RI, Climate Jobs RI, and the AFL-CIO in support of Revolution Wind and other offshore wind projects.

LOCATION:

CIC Providence

225 Dyer Street

Providence, RI

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1, 2026

No public events.

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Rhode Island

GoLocalProv | Politics | Providence On Sunday Is One of the Sites for a National Protest Against ICE

Published

13 hours ago

January 10, 2026

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GoLocalProv | Politics | Providence On Sunday Is One of the Sites for a National Protest Against ICE

Saturday, January 10, 2026

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Protest in Providence in June against ICE PHOTO: GoLocal

Organizers in Rhode Island and across the country are mobilizing against ICE after a pair of shootings in the past few days.

Organizers locally said, “Rhode Islanders will gather on Sunday to honor the life lost, make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions, and demand that state and federal leaders reject local contracts with ICE, take every action possible to stop ICE from operating in Rhode Island, and hold ICE agents accountable when they break the law.”

The RI event begins at 2 PM at the State House on Sunday.

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Nationally, it was a announced on Friday that, “A broad national coalition, including Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501, the Disappeared in America Campaign of the Not Above the Law coalition, and partner organizations across the country, is calling for a coordinated ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action.

“The mobilization comes in response to the escalation of ICE violence in our communities, the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old wife and mother of three, and the months-long pattern of unchecked violence and abuse in marginalized communities across America. Across the country, communities will gather in nonviolent, lawful, and community-led actions to honor the life lost, demand accountability, and make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions,” said organizers.

Organizers added, “Good and the Portland victims are part of a broader and deeply alarming pattern of unchecked violence and abuse by federal immigration enforcement agencies. In September, ICE reportedly shot and killed Silverio Villegas González, a father and cook from Mexico living in Chicago. In 2025 alone, more than 30 people have reportedly died in ICE detention.”

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island General Assembly Begins 2026 Session With Focus on Affordability – Newport Buzz

Published

1 day ago

January 9, 2026

Press Room

Rhode Island General Assembly Begins 2026 Session With Focus on Affordability – Newport Buzz

PROVIDENCE — Rhode Island lawmakers opened the 2026 legislative session this week with a focus on health care affordability, housing costs and economic stability, as leaders in both chambers warned of uncertainty tied to federal budget changes.

House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi outlined House priorities centered on expanding access to health care while lowering costs, calling it the chamber’s top agenda item for the year. He also said lawmakers will continue addressing housing shortages and rising home energy costs, emphasizing the need for community input as policy decisions move forward.

In the Senate, President Valarie J. Lawson convened the chamber by urging bipartisan cooperation and announcing plans to introduce legislation supporting education, small businesses and the state’s health care system. Stabilizing hospitals and strengthening the primary care workforce were identified as key goals.

Both chambers paused to honor victims of the Dec. 13 shooting at Brown University, passing resolutions recognizing the victims and commending first responders. Lawmakers also observed a moment of silence.

New legislation introduced by Rep. Joseph M. McNamara would require the Department of Education to adopt a zero-tolerance hazing policy in partnership with the Rhode Island Interscholastic League, mandating clear and consistent discipline statewide.

Meanwhile, Reps. David Morales and Jennifer Stewart called on Gov. Dan McKee to fully fund public libraries in the upcoming state budget.

Speaker Shekarchi also announced several committee leadership changes, appointing Rep. Carol Hagan McEntee as chairwoman of the House Judiciary Committee and Rep. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith as chairwoman of the House Small Business Committee.

The week also marked the first Senate session for Sen. Stefano V. Famiglietti, who received committee assignments following his election to fill a vacant seat.

Legislative leaders capped the week by joining faith leaders at the 18th annual Rhode Island Interfaith Poverty Vigil at the State House, calling attention to legislation aimed at reducing poverty statewide.

Temporary erosion protection systems installed at Second Beach in Middletown, Rhode Island

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