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CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid Corp. saw its same-store sales improve but still come in flat during March.
The drug store chain said Wednesday that for the four weeks ended March 27, same-store sales dipped 0.1% from a year earlier. That represented a sizable improvement from recent months. The company reported a 3.2% drop in February, a 2.1% decrease in January and a 1.8% decline in December.
An early Easter helped lift front-end same-store sales in March, which rose 1.8%, Rite Aid said. Pharmacy same-store revenue, which included a 189-basis-point negative impact from new generic drug introductions, fell 1%. Prescriptions filled at comparable stores decreased 1.3% during the month.
Overall drug store sales in March, meanwhile, were down 1.4% to $1.97 billion from just under $2 billion a year ago.
As of March 27, Rite Aid operated 4,777 stores versus 4,882 stores a year earlier.
