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Walgreen (WAG) Front-End Comps Up 1.6% in Jan.

February 5, 2014 8:02 AM EST
Walgreen Company (NYSE: WAG) had January sales of $6.39 billion, an increase of 3.7 percent from $6.17 billion for the same month in fiscal 2013.

Total front-end sales increased 2.4 percent compared with the same month in fiscal 2013, while comparable store front-end sales increased 1.6 percent. Customer traffic in comparable stores decreased 2.2 percent while basket size increased 3.8 percent.

Prescriptions filled at comparable stores decreased by 0.8 percent in January and decreased 0.4 percent on a calendar day-shift adjusted basis. January 2014 had one additional Friday and one fewer Tuesday compared with January 2013. These calendar shifts negatively impacted prescriptions filled at comparable stores by 0.4 percentage point.

Prescriptions filled at comparable stores were negatively impacted by 0.8 percentage point due to fewer flu shots in the month versus last year and were negatively impacted by 1.4 percentage points due to the lower incidence of flu in January 2014.

January pharmacy sales increased by 4.6 percent, while comparable store pharmacy sales increased 3.7 percent and increased by a calendar day-shift adjusted 4.1 percent. Calendar day shifts negatively impacted pharmacy sales in comparable stores by 0.4 percentage point. Calendar day-shift adjusted comparable store pharmacy sales were negatively impacted by 1.3 percentage points due to generic drug introductions in the last 12 months, and were negatively impacted by 0.5 percentage point due to fewer flu shots in January versus last year. The lower incidence of flu negatively impacted pharmacy sales by 1.1 percentage points. Pharmacy sales accounted for 65.6 percent of total sales for the month.

Flu shots administered at pharmacies and clinics season to date were more than 7.5 million versus nearly 6.9 million last year.

Sales in comparable stores increased by 2.9 percent in January. Calendar day shifts negatively impacted total comparable sales by 0.3 percentage point, while generic drug introductions in the last 12 months negatively impacted total comparable sales by 0.9 percentage point.

Fiscal 2014 year-to-date sales for the first five months were $31.92 billion, up 5.7 percent from $30.20 billion in the comparable period in fiscal 2013.

Walgreens opened 12 stores during January, including three relocations, and closed three.

On Jan. 31, Walgreens operated 8,678 locations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. That includes 8,206 drugstores, 139 more than a year ago, including 60 net stores acquired over the last 12 months. The company also operates infusion and respiratory services facilities, specialty pharmacies and mail service facilities. Its Take Care Health Systems subsidiary manages more than 750 in-store convenient care clinics and worksite health and wellness centers.


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