The Globe and Mail reports in its Friday, April 5, edition that Dollarama announced a 24-per-cent increase in profit in its fourth quarter. The Globe's Susan Krashinsky Robertson writes that Dollarama also boosted its quarterly dividend by 29.9 per cent, to 9.2 cents a common share. While people are buying fewer items during each trip to Dollarama, they are shopping there more frequently, partly because they are looking for lower prices on those everyday necessities, which the company refers to as "consumables." This has been a continuing trend over the past two years as prices have risen and people have looked for ways to cut back. While Dollarama executives are expecting these trends to normalize throughout the course of this year, the company is forecasting continued strong demand in the months ahead. Comparable store sales are expected to increase by a range of 3.5 to 4.5 per cent, according to the company. Dollarama's comparable store sales grew by 8.7 per cent in the quarter ended Jan. 28. That compared with the previous year, when the company reported growth of 15.9 per cent. For the full year, comparable sales were up 12 per cent compared with the year before, as store visits increased.