The Globe and Mail reports in its Thursday edition that Dollarama net earnings grew to $179.9-million or 63 cents a share in the first quarter ended April 30, compared with $145.5-million or 50 cents in the same quarter last year. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes that with food price increases outpacing the rate of inflation for months, shoppers have been turning to discount stores in an attempt to cut down on their grocery bills -- including Dollarama, which sells grocery items such as cereal, canned tuna, condiments and snacks. Dollarama has also seen strong demand in "consumables" such as cleaning products and other categories. Visits to Dollarama stores increased in the quarter, with the total number of transactions up 15.5 per cent. Comparable store sales grew 17 per cent year-over-year. That is an important metric in retail because it measures sales growth that excludes the impact of new store openings. Dollarama has been expanding its store count significantly, opening 21 new locations in the quarter. Dollarama had 1,507 stores across Canada as of April 30 and plans to reach 2,000 by 2031. That expansion boosted Dollarama's overall sales by 20.7 per cent to $1.29-billion in the quarter.