Spacenet Inc., a subsidiary of Gilat Satellite Networks, has been selected to provide a nationwide, broadband satellite communications network to Dollar General Corporation which has over 5,000 stores across America.
The agreement calls for Spacenet to provide Dollar General with a private Skystar Advantage satellite communications network to provide persistent broadband connectivity between its remote store locations and its corporate headquarters.
Dollar General is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, with more than 5,000 stores in 25 states. The company has been expanding its store network and has opened more than 2,700 new stores in the past five years, with plans for continued expansion going forward. Dollar General intends to use Spacenet’s VSAT networking system to link its present stores and new stores with its Goodlettsville, Tenn. headquarters data center through a dedicated VSAT hub provided by Spacenet.
Dollar General will use the Skystar Advantage network for Internet Protocol (IP)-based store polling, inventory management and check authorization applications. Bruce Ash, Dollar General’s Vice President, Information Services, said, “This network is important to the continued growth and efficiency of our business. We are installing new cash registers and scanners in stores and improving our supply-chain systems. A dedicated store network provides a key link in our ability to manage inventory and meet our customers’ needs by being consistently in stock.”
David Shiff, Spacenet’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said, “Dollar General has built its success with an organization of talented, highly motivated people whose focus is to serve customers in a superior manner. As it grows beyond 5,000 stores, advanced communications technology will be extremely important to maintaining and extending its competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
Shiff added, “Dollar General is the latest in a growing number of respected companies to select Spacenet for mission-critical network solutions. We are tremendously honored to have been selected by them and believe that the 10-year term of this agreement is a clear indication of their enthusiasm for our solution.”
Dollar General operates more than 5,000 neighborhood stores throughout the Middle and Southeastern United States, with distribution centers in Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Virginia.
