The Jean Coutu Group-June Same Store Sales Increase 6.6% in the Canadian Network and 2.0% in the United States Network.
Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. today announced retail sales results for the five weeks ended July 1, 2006, the first period of fiscal 2007. Retail sales growth percentages quoted herein are denominated in local currency in order to exclude the impact of currency rate fluctuations. Please note that monthly retail sales numbers are preliminary and unaudited.
For the five weeks ended July 1, 2006, the Company‘s Canadian franchise network’s same store retail sales were up 6.6%, pharmacy same store sales gained 9.4% while front-end same store sales increased 2.7% year-over-year. The network showed a 7.3% increase in total retail sales compared with the same period last year. Retail sales for the period were $260.7 million.
For the month of June 2006, the United States corporate pharmacy network same store retail sales increased 2.0%, pharmacy same store sales increased 2.9% while front-end same store sales decreased 0.7% compared with the same period of the 2006 fiscal year. The impact of generic drugs replacing brand drugs on pharmacy sales growth was 233 basis points for the period. Front-end sales performed well in the consumables and health categories, offset by declines in sun care products and general merchandise-photo categories. The network posted a 0.4% increase in total retail sales when compared with the same period of the 2006 fiscal year, reflecting the closure of 78 non-performing Eckerd drugstores during the first quarter of fiscal 2006. Retail sales for the period were $925.4 million.
The Jean Coutu Group (PJC) Inc. is the fourth largest drugstore chain in North America and the second largest in both the eastern United States and Canada. The Company and its combined network of 2,173 corporate and franchised drugstores (under the banners of Brooks and Eckerd Pharmacy, PJC Jean Coutu, PJC Clinique and PJC Sante Beaute) employ more than 60,000 people.
The Jean Coutu Group’s United States operations employ 46,000 people and comprise 1,853 corporate owned stores located in 18 states of the North-eastern, mid-Atlantic and South-eastern United States. The Jean Coutu Group’s Canadian operations and franchised drugstores in its network employ over 14,000 people and comprise 320 PJC Jean Coutu franchised stores in Quebec, New Brunswick and Ontario.
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