Dollar Tree, Family Dollar & Dollar General: Who Owns Whom?
They look alike and the names rhyme, but the ownership story is specific: Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar in 2015 and sold it in 2025, and Dollar General has always been a separate, unrelated company. Here's how the three actually relate.
Dollar Tree and Family Dollar (2015–2025)
Dollar Tree acquired Family Dollar in 2015 for roughly $8.5 billion, beating out a competing bid, and ran it as a separate banner for about a decade. After a strategic review, Dollar Tree sold the Family Dollar brand in 2025 (the deal closed in July 2025) to a pair of investment firms. So they were corporate siblings for ten years, but are no longer affiliated.
Dollar General — always separate
Dollar General has never been part of Dollar Tree or Family Dollar. It tried to buy Family Dollar back in 2014 and lost the bid (Family Dollar's board chose Dollar Tree, citing antitrust concerns). It remains a completely independent company — and is the largest of the three by store count.
Why everyone confuses Family Dollar and Dollar General
The two get mixed up constantly because they're built the same way: variable-price, small-format general stores with similar product mixes, often in the same neighborhoods and small towns. Dollar Tree is the one that stands apart — it's the fixed-price store (a $1.25 base, with some higher "Plus" items), not a variable-price general store. So "Family Dollar vs Dollar General" is the real apples-to-apples comparison — see our Family Dollar vs Dollar General guide.
FAQ
Are Dollar Tree and Family Dollar the same company?
Not anymore. Dollar Tree owned Family Dollar from 2015 until selling the brand in 2025 (the sale closed in July 2025). They were siblings for a decade but are no longer affiliated.
Is Dollar General owned by Dollar Tree?
No. Dollar General is and always has been a separate, independent company with no ownership tie to Dollar Tree or Family Dollar. It tried to buy Family Dollar in 2014 and lost to Dollar Tree.
What's the difference between the three?
Dollar Tree is a fixed-price store ($1.25 base). Family Dollar and Dollar General are variable-price, small-format general stores — which is why those two get confused. Dollar General is the largest by store count.