Lululemon Athletica said its recent push to renovate stores paid off in the latest reported quarter, with traffic rising in the mid-single-digit range. Same-store sales increased by 8 percent.

“We are particularly impressed with Lululemon’s store performance, given [that] many retailers still cite negative traffic trend,” said Cowen & Co. analyst Oliver Chen, speaking to Reuters.

Direct-to-consumer revenue, which includes online sales, rose by 62 percent in the first quarter, helping the company record a profit. Morningstar analysts say that strong performance at the Lululemon men’s and accessories lines show that the chain's products continue to “resonate” with evolving consumer tastes.

This positive momentum encouraged the retailer, which operates 411 stores, to upgrade its outlook for the rest of 2018. "We now expect net revenue to be in the range of $3.040 billion to $3.075 billion, based on a total comparable-sales increase in the high single digits," the company said in a published statement.

Lululemon opened seven new stores during the quarter, including its first in Mexico City.