Walgreens reports November sales increase
Deerfield-based Walgreens reported that sales at stores open a least a year increased 3.2 percent in November.
The effect of calendar day shifts positively impacted total comparable sales by 1.5 percentage points. Duane Reade stores, acquired in April 2010, are not included in any comparable store results.
November pharmacy sales increased 4.2 percent. Comparable pharmacy sales were negatively impacted by 3.3 percentage points due to generic drug introductions in the last 12 months and by 1.1 percentage points due to lower incidence of cough, cold and flu. Comparable pharmacy sales were positively impacted by 0.8 percentage point due to more flu shots provided by the company. Pharmacy sales accounted for 65.2 percent of total sales for the month.
Prescriptions filled at comparable stores increased 6.6 percent in November, including 1.2 percentage points due to more patients filling 90-day prescriptions.
Flu shots administered at pharmacies and clinics during November totaled more than 1 million, with 5.6 million flu shots having been administered season-to-date.
“Considering the warm fall weather around much of the country and a lack of flu virus circulating, we're pleased we have provided more seasonal flu shots than we did at this point last year, when we ran out of flu vaccine supply in mid-October,” said Kermit Crawford, Walgreens president of pharmacy services. “With the typical peak of the flu season still two to three months away and National Influenza Vaccination Week beginning Sunday, now is when consumers should protect themselves, their families and their friends before holiday gatherings begin. We've made it easier than ever to get immunized by offering flu shots at every Walgreens, every day with no appointment necessary.”
Total front-end sales increased 1.5 percent. Customer traffic in comparable stores increased 0.3 percent, while basket size increased 1.2 percent.
Calendar year-to-date sales were $62.05 billion, an increase of 5.8 percent from $58.63 billion in 2009.
Total sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2011 were $17.33 billion, up 5.9 percent from $16.36 billion in the first quarter of fiscal 2010. Comparable store sales for the fiscal 2011 first quarter increased 0.8 percent, while front-end comparable store sales for the quarter increased 0.4 percent. Prescriptions filled at comparable stores increased 2.2 percent in the first quarter.
Walgreens opened 49 stores during November, including 12 relocations, acquired nine and closed three.
At Nov. 30, Walgreens operated 8,131 locations in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and Guam. That includes 7,650 drugstores, 503 more than a year ago, including 291 stores acquired over the last 12 months. The company also operates work site health centers, home care facilities, and specialty and mail service pharmacies. Its Take Care Health Systems subsidiary manages more than 700 in-store convenient care clinics and work site health and wellness centers.