Costco Wholesale March Comps. Down 2% - Quick Facts

(RTTNews) - Costco Wholesale Corp. (COST) reported that total comparable sales for the month of March 2015 was down 2 percent, with flat in the U.S. and a 9 percent slide in International business.

But, monthly comparable sales, excluding negative impacts from gasoline price deflation and foreign exchange, were up 4 percent, with 4 percent growth each in the U.S. and International businesses.

Net sales for the month of March, the five weeks ended April 5, 2015 were $10.40 billion, compared to $10.43 billion during the similar period last year. This year's total reflects one less sales day than last year, due to the timing of Easter. This calendar shift negatively impacted this year's net and comparable sales by an estimated one to one and one-half percent.

For the thirty-one weeks ended April 5, 2015, the Company reported net sales of $67.58 billion, an increase of five percent from $64.65 billion during the similar period last year.