The discount retailer said it expects to open 70 to 80 new stores in the 2026 fiscal year, up from the 60 to 70 it planned in 2025. Dollarama released the announcement along with its fourth-quarter earnings, which showed net profit rose 21 per cent to $391 million. (The Logic)

Talking point: Tough economic times send bargain hunters to discount stores, with Dollarama joining Loblaw in capitalizing on cash-strapped shoppers looking for deals amid inflation and trade war uncertainty. In February, Loblaw announced it plans to open 80 new “hard discount” grocery stores in 2025. Dollarama cited “heightened uncertainty” as one of the reasons it expects comparable same-store sales growth between three and four per cent in the 2026 fiscal year. The company also said it was looking at “opportunities to take over leases from certain retailers exiting the market” for its planned new stores. Spokesperson Lyla Radmanovich told The Globe and Mail it’s not talking about the Hudson’s Bay stores across the country that are in the process of liquidation, however.