NATCHEZ — Natchez may soon be welcoming as many as three new dollar stores.

Construction is under way at two different sites, one for a Family Dollar store and the other for a Dollar General Plus.

Dollar General is also looking at a third site as a location for an additional store.

Construction on the Family Dollar store began last month at 1198 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive.

Bryn Winburn, public and media relations manager for Family Dollar, wrote in an email the location was chosen by using sophisticated modeling software and real estate managers in the field.

The store is scheduled to open at the end of the year, and plans to offer a variety of grocery products for consumers.

“Additionally, we offer a variety of name brand and private label household, health and beauty products, pet care products and baby care items,” Winburn wrote.

Cliff Cermak, community affairs specialist for Family Dollar, wrote in an email the store looks to hire between eight and 10 employees, including a store manager, assistant store manager and customer service representatives.

“We look to hire locally as we strive to be a great community partner,” Cermak wrote.

Four miles away at 529 U.S. 61 North, construction has been ongoing since May 1 for a new Dollar General Plus.

Dan MacDonald, senior director of corporate communications for Dollar General, said the new store would be approximately 1,000 square feet bigger than a traditional Dollar General store.

“It typically means there will be more cooler doors,” MacDonald said. “So there will be more frozen and refrigerated grocery items.”

MacDonald said there are other advantages to the bigger store.

“The stores are really convenient and easy to shop, having the wider aisles and a little more square footage on the sales floor,” MacDonald said.

MacDonald said the store would have around six to 10 part-time and full-time employees and looks to open in early August.

Dollar General is also considering a site for another store on U.S. 81. Currently MacDonald said the project is under “due diligence,” which means the area is being researched.

The address has yet to be determined.

“We’re the fastest growing discount retail chain in the country,” MacDonald said. “We see a lot of opportunity and a lot of demand out there.”

Butch Brown, Natchez mayor, said the new stores represent an investment in the community.

“Those kinds of jobs allow unskilled workers a chance to enter the workforce and have a second income for their house,” Brown said.