Dollar General has promoted two division managers to senior vice president of store operations.

In their new roles, Jeff Owen and Karen Sensabaugh will report to Executive Vice President Kathleen Guion, Dollar General's top executive for store operations and store development. Guion, who has helped the Goodlettsville-based company grow to about 9,500 stores, announced last month she'll retire at the end of this year. The promotions of Owen and Sensabaugh essentially sets up a head-to-head contest to succeed Guion.

Owen joined Dollar General in 1992 as an intern while attending Vanderbilt University. After beginning as a store manager, he was named division manager in 2006 and was later promoted to division vice president. Sensabaugh joined Dollar General in 2005 rom CVS as a region director. She was promoted to division manager a year later and to division vice president in 2008.

“It has been my pleasure to watch both Jeff and Karen grow with Dollar General,” Guion said. “I look forward to their continued success at Dollar General.”

Dollar General shares (Ticker: DG) are up almost 2 percent to $31.37 this afternoon. Year to date, they've also gained about 2 percent.