Rite Aid Jan. Same-Store Sales Up 1.8% - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Retail drugstore chain operator Rite Aid Corp.'s (RAD) same-store sales for January 2014 improved 1.8 percent year-over-year; while front-end same-store sales fell 1.3 percent, out of which 1.4 percent was attributable to a decline in sales of flu-related over-the-counter products.

Pharmacy same-store sales, comprising an approximate 124 basis points negative impact from new generic introductions, rose 3.2 percent. Prescription count at comparable stores were down 2.2 percent over the previous year, of which 2.4 percent is attributable to a decrease in flu-related prescriptions and flu shots, the company said.

For the four-week period, Total drugstore sales went up 1.5 percent to $1.94 billion, from $1.91 billion a year ago. Monthly prescription sales accounted for 69.7 percent of drugstore sales, and third party prescription sales represented 96.7 percent of pharmacy sales.