Dollar General has appointed Greg Sparks to the post of executive vice president of store operations.

Sparks will oversee the operations of more than 9,900 retail stores in 38 states and serve on the company’s real estate and store development committee. He will assume his duties at Dollar General on 19 March, reporting directly to chairman and CEO Rick Dreiling.

Previously, Sparks worked at US supermarket group Safeway for 34 years. Most recently she served as division president, Seattle division, for Safeway.

“Greg is a proven leader with a breadth of retail experience across both operations and merchandising. Given that I have known Greg for 20 years and have had the opportunity to follow his career during this time, I believe Greg will be a great addition to Dollar General and help take our business to new levels of success,” said Dreiling.