Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) today announced sales results for
January.
Monthly Sales
For the four weeks ended Jan. 26, 2013, same store sales increased 0.3
percent over the prior-year period. January front-end same store sales
increased 4.2 percent, of which 2.4 percent was attributable to
flu-related over-the-counter products. Pharmacy same store sales, which
included an approximate 665 basis points negative impact from new
generic introductions, decreased 1.4 percent. Prescription count at
comparable stores increased 5.0 percent over the prior-year period, of
which 3.4 percent was attributable to flu-related prescriptions and flu
shots.
Total drugstore sales for the four-week period decreased 0.5 percent to
$1.914 billion compared to $1.923 billion for the same period last year.
Prescription sales accounted for 68.9 percent of drugstore sales, and
third party prescription sales represented 96.2 percent of pharmacy
sales.
Year-to-Date Sales
Same store sales for the 47-week period ended Jan. 26, 2013 increased
0.1 percent over the prior-year period. Front-end same store sales
increased 1.6 percent while pharmacy same store sales decreased 0.7
percent. Prescription count at comparable stores increased 3.7 percent
over the prior-year period.
Total drugstore sales for the 47 weeks ended Jan. 26, 2013 decreased 0.6
percent with sales of $22.826 billion compared to $22.953 billion for
the same period last year. Prescription sales represented 67.5 percent
of total drugstore sales, and third party prescription sales represented
96.5 percent of pharmacy sales.
Rite Aid is one of the nation’s largest drugstore chains. On Jan. 26,
2013, the company operated 4,626 stores compared to 4,672 stores in the
like period a year ago. Information about Rite Aid, including corporate
background and press releases, is available through the company’s
website at http://www.riteaid.com.
Note that all sales data in this release is preliminary, unaudited and
subject to revision.
Statements in this release that are not historical are
forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and
involve risks, assumptions and uncertainties that are described in Item
1A (Risk Factors) of our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and in
other documents that we file or furnish with the Securities and Exchange
Commission, which you are encouraged to read. Should one or more of
these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should underlying
assumptions prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from
those indicated or anticipated by such forward-looking statements.
Accordingly, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these
forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are
made. Rite Aid expressly disclaims any current intention to update
publicly any forward-looking statement after the distribution of this
release, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes
in assumptions or otherwise.