GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Spartan Stores posted a 52.2% increase in net earnings and an operating earnings increase of 26.4% during the fiscal first quarter ended June 21, the company said Wednesday. A challenging economic climate held comparable retail sales, excluding fuel, to a 0.2% gain during the quarter, but an improved sales mix between the wholesale and retail divisions — due mainly to the addition of Felpausch stores to the retail store base — helped increase profits as a percentage of sales to 19.7% in the most recent quarter vs. 19.1% in the first quarter last year. The Felpausch acquisition also sparked a 12.8% increase in overall sales, to $586.7 million, Spartan said. “We remain very pleased with the execution of our business plan during this challenging economic climate,” Craig Sturken, chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement.

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