Dollarama Inc. said it will hire thousands of people in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Dollarama anticipates hiring thousands of Canadians across the country over the coming weeks and months to support the ongoing demands of the business,” the company said in a press release late Friday.

“We will be doing everything possible to meet the needs of our customers in the days, weeks and months ahead,'' Neil Rossy, president and chief executive officer of Dollarama, said in the release. ''Our intention is to keep our stores open and well-stocked so that we can continue to provide essential, everyday necessities to Canadians.''

The announcement comes after Walmart Inc.’s Canadian division said last week that it intends to hire 10,000 people to work in its stores and distribution centres to meet current demand.

“There’s a lot of work and we need you," Walmart Canada chief executive officer Horacio Barbeito said in a memo.

Dollarama also followed other Canadian retailers, like Loblaw Companies Ltd., in announcing reduced hours. While the retailer did not specify to what extent store hours would be cut, the majority of its locations in the city of Toronto currently close at 9 p.m. ET, with an opening time between 8 and 9 a.m., according to Dollarama’s online store locator.

Dollarama also encouraged its stores to reserve the first hour of daily operations for the shopping needs of seniors and customers with chronic health conditions, according to the release, which also promised heightened sanitization efforts at both the store and warehouse levels.