Rite Aid Corp.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. surprised Wall Street on Thursday by paring its losses more than expected in the drug store retailer’s fiscal first quarter.

Rite Aid reported that it lost $65.5 million in the quarter ended May 28, compared with a loss of $76 million in the year-ago period. The retailer cited cost tightening and same-store sales gains for the improved performance.

Revenue was flat at $6.39 billion, the second straight quarter the company's revenue held steady. Before that, revenue fell for 10 consecutive quarters.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Same-store sales at Rite Aid increased by 1.3% in May, compared with the year-ago period, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

Reporting sales for the five-week period that ended May 28, Rite Aid said front-end same-store sales increased 1.8%, while same-store sales in the pharmacy increased by 1%, including a 129-basis point offset due to introductions of new generic drugs. Prescription count increased 0.1%.

Total drug store sales during the period were nearly $2.5 billion, a 1% increase over $2.45 billion in May 2010.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Three Rite Aid stores have been awarded Energy Star certification for superior energy performance by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA awards the Energy Star certification to buildings that rank in the top 25% of similar buildings nationwide in terms of energy efficiency and meet strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Three Rite Aid stores in New England have received Energy Star certification from the Environmental Protection Agency, the retail pharmacy chain said Monday.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On the final evening of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, the association for the first time honored two individuals in the same year with the Sheldon W. Fantle Lifetime Achievement Award: Mary Sammons, chairman of Rite Aid, and Tom Ryan, chairman of CVS Caremark.

The recent opening of the 500th Vitamin Shoppe store was heralded as an important milestone for this rapidly growing company but within a few years the nation’s second largest nutritional products specialty retailer could be eyeing 1,000 units.

“There are many markets we are interested in establishing a presence in, and we will continue to move forward with our growth plans to expand in current markets and penetrate new ones,” Vitamin Shoppe CEO Tony Truesdale said on the occasion of the opening of the 500th store in St. Peters, Mo., earlier this month.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. said Monday that Tony Montini has been promoted to executive VP merchandising.

Montini most recently served as senior VP of category management.

In his new position, Montini will oversee field merchandising and the company’s new store format development in addition to his current responsibilities for category management. The company’s new store formats include wellness stores, value + stores and co-branded Save-A-Lot Rite Aid stores.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Sales at Rite Aid fell during the fourth quarter and fiscal year 2011, according to financial results announced Thursday.

The 4,714-store retail pharmacy chain had sales of $6.5 billion for fourth quarter 2011, which ended Feb. 26, with a net loss of $205.7 million. Still, that was less than fourth quarter 2010’s loss of $208.4 million. For the fiscal year, sales were $25.2 billion, compared with $25.7 billion in fiscal year 2010. The year saw a net loss of $555.4 million, compared with $506.7 million in 2010.

Camp Hill, Pa. -- Rite Aid Corp. reported Thursday that narrowed its loss in the fourth quarter to $208.1 million, compared with a loss of $210.6 million in the year-ago period.

The drugstore operator cited stabilized revenue for the slight improvement.

Revenue during the quarter was unchanged at $6.46 billion. Wall Street expected $6.41 billion in revenue.

Same-store sales edged up 1% in the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the company closed 17 stores, relocated four and remodeled two.
 

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Overall same-store sales at Rite Aid decreased during March while pharmacy and prescription sales increased, the pharmacy retailer said Thursday.

Compared with last year, front-end same-store sales decreased by 1.8% during the four-week period that ended March 26, which the 4,711-store chain attributed to Easter falling on a later date this year, April 24, than last year, when it occurred on April 4.