As we work to provide everyday low prices and meet our customers’ affordability needs, we remain focused on enhancing our margins through inventory shrink and damage reduction initiatives, as well as pricing and markdown optimization, effective category management and inventory reduction efforts, distribution and transportation efficiencies, private brands penetration and global sourcing. Several of our strategic and other sales-driving initiatives are also designed to capture growth opportunities and are discussed in more detail below.
We continue to experience significant levels of inventory shrink. Although we continue to take actions designed to reduce shrink, including refinement of our self-checkout strategy, and believe these actions are starting to positively impact the trend, we anticipate shrink will nonetheless materially pressure our fiscal 2024 full-year financial results. Damages have also pressured financial results this fiscal year, and we expect this to continue at least through the remainder of the year.
We continue to implement and invest in certain strategic initiatives that we believe will help drive profitable sales growth with both new and existing customers and capture long-term growth opportunities. Such opportunities include providing our customers with a variety of shopping access points and even greater value and convenience by leveraging and developing digital tools and technology, such as our Dollar General app, which contains a variety of tools to enhance the in-store shopping experience. Additionally, our partnership with a third-party delivery service is available in the majority of our stores, and we continue to grow our DG Media Network, which is our platform for connecting brand partners with our customers to drive even greater value for each.
Our “DG Fresh” initiative, a self-distribution model for frozen and refrigerated products that is designed to reduce product costs, enhance item assortment, improve our in-stock position, and enhance sales, has positively contributed to our sales and gross margin performance since we completed the initial rollout in 2021. Moving forward, we plan to focus on additional optimization of the distribution footprint and product assortment within DG Fresh with the goal to further drive profitable sales growth.
We also remain focused on capturing growth opportunities. In the third quarter of 2024, we opened a total of 207 new stores, remodeled 434 stores, and relocated 27 stores. In fiscal 2024 we plan to open approximately 730 new stores (including pOpshelf stores and stores in Mexico), remodel approximately 1,620 stores, and relocate approximately 85 stores. In fiscal 2025, we plan to open approximately 575 new stores (as well as up to 15 stores in Mexico), fully remodel approximately 2,000 stores, with an additional 2,250 stores partially remodeled, and relocate approximately 45 stores, for a total of 4,885 real estate projects.
pOpshelf is a unique retail concept focused on categories such as seasonal and home décor, health and beauty, home cleaning supplies, and party and entertainment goods. In light of the softer discretionary sales environment, we have converted certain pOpshelf stores to Dollar General stores, and do not believe opening new stores in fiscal 2025 is the best use of capital. We continue to evaluate the right next steps for the pOpshelf banner. At the end of the third quarter of 2024, we operated 231 standalone pOpshelf stores.
We expect store format innovation to allow us to capture additional growth opportunities as we continue to utilize the most productive of our various Dollar General store formats based on the specific market opportunity. In 2025 we expect the significant majority of the stores to be predominately in one of our 8,500 square foot formats. This format allows for expanded high-capacity-cooler counts, an extended queue line, and a broader product assortment, including an enhanced non-consumable offering, a larger health and beauty section, and produce in select stores.
We have established a position as a low-cost operator, always seeking ways to reduce or control costs that do not affect our customers’ shopping experiences. We plan to continue enhancing this position over time while employing ongoing cost discipline to reduce certain expenses as a percentage of sales. Nonetheless, we seek to maintain flexibility to invest in the business as necessary to enhance our long-term competitiveness and profitability. From time to time, our strategic initiatives, including without limitation those discussed above, have required and may continue to require us to incur upfront expenses for which there may not be an immediate return in terms of sales or enhanced profitability.
Certain of our operating expenses, such as wage rates and occupancy costs, have continued to increase in recent years, due primarily to market forces such as labor availability, increases in minimum wage rates and increases in property rents and interest rates. Significant or rapid increases to federal, and further increases to state or local, minimum wage rates or salary levels could significantly adversely affect our earnings if we are not able to otherwise offset these increased labor costs elsewhere in our business. In April 2024 the U.S. Department of Labor announced a final rule that,