CVS Corporation January Sales Increase 34.2%

    Business Editors

    WOONSOCKET, R.I.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 3, 2005--CVS Corporation (NYSE:CVS) today announced that total sales for the four-week period ended January 29, 2005 increased 34.2% to $2.74 billion, compared to $2.04 billion in the prior year period, reflecting the impact of the acquisition completed on July 31, 2004, of 1,268 Eckerd drugstores, as well as Eckerd's pharmacy benefit management and mail order pharmacy business. Total pharmacy sales represented 72.4% of total company sales in January.
    Same store sales (sales from stores open more than one year) for the four weeks ended January 29, 2005 increased 8.0% over the comparable prior year four-week period. Pharmacy same store sales increased 9.2%, while front-end same store sales increased 5.2%. Same store sales do not include the acquired Eckerd drugstores, which will be included in same store sales beginning in August 2005.

    CVS is America's #1 retail pharmacy, operating 5,372 retail and specialty pharmacy stores in 36 states and the District of Columbia as of January 29, 2005. With more than 40 years of dynamic growth in the retail pharmacy industry, CVS is committed to being the easiest pharmacy retailer for customers to use. CVS has created innovative approaches to serve the healthcare needs of all customers through its CVS/pharmacy(R) stores; its online pharmacy, CVS.com(R); and its pharmacy benefit management and specialty pharmacy subsidiary, PharmaCare(R). General information about CVS is available through the Investor Relations portion of the Company's website, at http://investor.CVS.com, as well as through the press room portion of the Company's website, at www.cvs.com/pressroom.

--30--TB/ny*

CONTACT: Investors: Nancy Christal, 914-722-4704 or Media: Eileen Howard Dunn, 401-770-4561

KEYWORD: RHODE ISLAND INDUSTRY KEYWORD: RETAIL PHARMACEUTICAL SOURCE: CVS Corporation

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