CAMP HILL, Pa. — Decreased sales and script count in the pharmacy contributed to a comparable-store sales decline in May at Rite Aid Corp.
Rite Aid said Thursday that for the five weeks ended June 1, comp-store sales dipped 1.5% year over year. That marked an improvement from a 4% same-store sales decrease in April.
In the front end, same-store sales edged up 0.8% in May.
Comparable pharmacy sales fell 2.7% in May and reflected a negative impact of 373 basis points from introductions of lower-priced generic drugs, Rite Aid said. Prescriptions filled at comparable stores were down 0.3 percent compared with the prior-year period.
Overall drug store sales for May came in at just over $2.42 billion, down 1.5% from nearly $2.46 billion a year earlier. Prescription sales represented 67% of drug store sales.
For the 13-week first quarter ended June 1, same-store sales declined 2.5% from a year ago, including a 0.4% uptick in the front end and a 3.8% decrease in the pharmacy, Rite Aid reported. Prescription count at comparable stores was virtually flat, dipping 0.1% year over year.
Total drug store sales for the quarter were down 2.8% to about $6.26 billion from $6.44 billion in the prior-year period. Prescription sales accounted for 67.5% of drug store sales.
As of June 1, Rite Aid operated 4,615 drug stores, compared with 4,652 stores a year ago.
