- Walgreen Co., which operates almost four thousand drugstores, reported that net income for its fiscal first quarter ended Nov. 30 rose to $231.6 million, from $185.9 million a year earlier. Sales rose 14.1 percent to $7.5 billion, while sales at stores open at least a year increased 8.6 percent.
- In the UK, Wal-Mart’s Asda Group said its Christmas sales were ‘excellent,” maintaining sales growth of 30 percent in its George clothing line, with overall sales up in the high single digits. The company said its stores had the busiest trading day ever on December 23.
