The Tennessee-based discount retailer expects to open 200 to 300 new stores nationwide this year, J. Braxton Brockenbrough of Dallas-based Weitzman Group's Houston office tells GlobeSt.com. He was the tenant's representative for the site selection and lease negotiations.

Dollar General, with more than 50 locations in Houston, will open more as the expansion continues in the region, according to Brockenbrough, who adds that favorite landing spots are in grocery-anchored centers. He says the retailer is signing five or six-year leases in the Houston area.

In-house representative Kay Walker for New Plan Excel, headquartered in New York City, handled its side of the talks. The stores opened in 8,200 sf in Broadway Shopping Center at 8219 Broadway in the southeast submarket; 7,216 sf in the Stella Link center at 9209 Stella Link in the southwest sector; and 8,000 sf in Townshire Shopping Center at 1915 South Texas Ave. in Bryan. All are REIT-owned centers.

An 8,000-sf space was filled in a Houston suburban center at 245 Greens Rd., owned by private investor, Tofghi Shirazi of Houston. Brockenbrough says the store sits in the shadow of a shuttered Target.