Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) We’ll go to Charles Brohm of JP Morgan Chase.
Charles Brohm - JP Morgan Chase
Thanks, good morning. You’re 1Q comp outlook Jerry just talked about, implies a pretty nice pickup sequentially, and I know February ex the leap year, you guys were off to a pretty good start. Could you just give us a little bit of sense for why you feel so optimistic about the quarter?
Bruce Efird
Yes, this is Bruce Efird. I'll take that question. One, as Jerry referenced in his comments, we have a focus on in stocks, primarily in stocks on our consumables and have targeted focus on 776 items that make up approximately 46% of our sales. And today we are running a service level about 10% higher than the same time last year, and we will continue that focus. The second initiatives that we have in place is are focused store program, our top 50 stores, and currently those stores with incremental promotional activity focusing in on operating the facilities, are running at about 3% comps higher. We have a comparable program that Rick Chambers and his team put in place in the pharmacy to focus on driving sales in our top performing pharmacy stores as well. We are on track in growing our pharmacy business, as far as our incremental File buys, our pharmacist group File buys, and that’s another area that we’re focusing in on growing sales in the pharmacy.
Charles Brohm - JP Morgan Chase
And just those percentages you went into the 3% of the 10 for 10, those are from the beginning of the year through the date, is that how I should look at that number?
Bruce Efird
That is correct.
Charles Brohm - JP Morgan Chase
Are you seeing a conflict in the 75 stores that you closed, I know you alluded to some of the mark down pressure, is any of that giving you a lift to the term period?
Jerry Shore
So far the store closings are only starting in terms of the actual closings. In the month of February, those 75 stores performed at a negative 3% comp, and our other stores performed at a positive 1.4%, the net being the 1.1 that we reported.
Charles Brohm - JP Morgan Chase
Exactly, but as I recall last year, those underperforming stores were comping more in the mid to high single digit range so I am just wondering why those underperforming stores improved. I'm wondering if it's just through some markdown activity, if it's not I was wondering if you could clarify it?
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