Walgreen January same-store sales rise |
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Fri, 02 Feb 2007 14:58
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DEERFIELD, Ill. (AFX) - Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. on Friday said same-store sales rose a better-than-expected 10.8 percent in January, driven by pharmacy sales.Same-store sales, or sales in stores open at least one year, are a key measure of industry performance. Analysts polled by Thomson Financial forecast a 10 percent jump.Total sales in January grew 17 percent to $4.53 billion from $3.89 billion during the year-ago period, as pharmacy sales grew 18.5 percent and same-store pharmacy sales rose 13.1 percent.Front-end, or non-pharmacy, sales grew 6.6 percent.Results were helped by calendar and holiday shifts, with more weekdays than the year-ago period. Customers tend to fill prescriptions more often on weekdays.For the year, same-store sales were up 9.5 percent and total sales were up 16.1 percent to $22.4 billion.Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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