Walmart maintains a diverse portfolio of subsidiaries, some of which might surprise you but others that seem decidedly on-brand.
Dollar Tree is another chain with steeply discounted prices – everything in the store is $1. It’s not unreasonable to ask, does Walmart own Dollar Tree? Here is the answer you seek below.
Does Walmart Own Dollar Tree?
Walmart does not own Dollar Tree. Instead, Dollar Tree is a self-owned company that itself has acquired numerous national and regional competitors over the years, including Family Dollar and Dollar Bill$. Additionally, Walmart has never owned Dollar Tree and has no plans to acquire the business.
To learn more about the ownership of Dollar Tree, whether Walmart and Dollar Tree compete directly, and what kinds of items you could find at both Walmart and Dollar Tree, keep reading!
Who Owns Dollar Tree?
Dollar Tree is a publicly-traded steep-discount retail chain owned by the parent company Dollar Tree, Inc.
Founded in Norfolk, VA, by K.R. Perry, and initially known as Only $1.00 from 1986 until 1993, Dollar Tree is currently led by CEO Mike Witynski, who previously served as COO.
Dollar Tree, Inc. is itself the parent company of Family Dollar, after triumphing over competitor Dollar General in 2014.
Dollar General placed a bid of $9.7 billion against Dollar Tree’s $9.2 billion; however, the board of Family Dollar decided to proceed with Dollar Tree’s deal.
Are Walmart And Dollar Tree Competitors?
Walmart and Dollar Tree compete for shares of the same market, though the two stores know their target audience.
The most common type of Walmart shopper, for example, is a Gen X white woman with a household income of around $75,000.
The Dollar Tree target audience is lower-income; a little less than half of their shoppers earn a household income of about $25,000.
I would argue, however, that Dollar Tree is seeing or will shortly start to see a burgeoning Millennial-woman-with-disposable-income market.
That segment, bolstered by social media apps like Instagram and TikTok, flocks to Dollar Tree for their low price points on DIY-friendly goods.
(See this video and this one, for examples!)
While you can make crafts like the examples I’ve shared using items from Walmart, Dollar Tree is preferable over Walmart because everything costs only $1.
What Items Do Both Walmart And Dollar Tree Sell?
There is a lot of cross-over between Walmart and Dollar Tree products, though only in terms of item types, not brands or selection.
For example, both stores carry home goods, party supplies, snacks, pantry staples and fridge/freezer goods, baby items, kitchen gear, cleaning supplies, and beauty items.
However, Walmart carries all the major name brands and its own private-label goods, while Dollar Tree carries mostly generic-label goods and occasional name brands.
And of course, Walmart Supercenters, with their enormous warehouse-style spaces, seemingly carry 100 of every type of product, whereas Dollar Tree will only have one or two options.
Are Walmart And Dollar Tree Stores Similar?
Walmart and Dollar Tree stores are not very similar in size or layout.
A typical Dollar Tree store can be as small as 8,000 square feet or as large as 12,000.
This is in stark contrast to Walmart Supercenters, which average 180,000 square feet.
Walmart stores tend to need their own plot of land, while Dollar Trees fit into strip malls, mini-malls, and other smaller shopping centers.
But it’s not uncommon to see the stores within sighting distance of each other, because they both seek high-traffic locations.
If you want to know more about Walmart, you can also see our related posts on whether or not Walmart owns Lowe’s, if Walmart owns Walgreens, and if Walmart owns Home Depot.
Conclusion
If you thought Walmart owned Dollar Tree it’s not difficult to see why, but the largest retail chain in the world does not have any official, legal or business connection to Dollar Tree.
While the two are technically competitors in the discount niche, both maintain very different target audiences, and they seem to be perfectly content to stay in their own lanes.
