CBJ May 14 - Canadian coffee giant Tim Hortons Inc. yesterday reported a 19-per-cent rise in adjusted profit for the first quarter on its best Canadian same-store sales growth in two years, beating analyst expectations.

For the quarter ended April 4, Tim Hortons earned $78.9 million, or 45 cents a share, while revenues rose 4.8 per cent to $582.6 million as the company got a boost from its "roll up the rim to win" contest, which this year handed out all 40 vehicles available.

Shares in the company rose as much as 3.29 per cent to $35.48 on the Toronto Stock Exchange on the news.