Rite Aid August Same-Store Sales Up 3.9% - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Drugstore chain Rite Aid Corp. (RAD) said its August 2014 same-store sales increased by 3.9 percent year-over-year, with front-end same store sales up 1.1 percent. Pharmacy same store sales, which included an approximate 219 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions, increased 5.2 percent. Prescription count at comparable stores rose by 3.7 percent over the prior-year period.

Total drugstore sales for the five-week period were up 3.7 percent to $2.515 billion from $2.425 billion last year. Prescription sales accounted for 69.3 percent of drugstore sales, and third party prescription sales represented 97.5 percent of pharmacy sales, the company noted.

For the quarter, same store sales grew 4.1 percent year-on-year, front-end same-store sales increased 1.1 percent and pharmacy same store sales rose by 5.6 percent. For the 13-week period, prescription count at comparable stores increased 3.7 percent over the prior-year period.