McDonald's sales figure bounces back in August

NEW YORK (AP) ? McDonald's said a key sales figure climbed 3.7 percent in August, as the fast-food chain emphasized the value of its menu offerings amid the challenging global economy.

The world's biggest hamburger chain's strongest performance came from the region encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa, with revenue at stores open at least 13 months up 5.7 percent.

The Oak Brook, Ill.-based company said strong results in Australia and China fueled the performance, along with a shift in the timing of Ramadan.

In the U.S., the company said its breakfast menu and value items pushed up sales by 3 percent. In Europe, the figure rose 3.1 percent as a result of strength in the U.K., France and Russia.

McDonald's says the results were offset by weakness in Japan, Germany and parts of southern Europe.

Sales at all the company's restaurants rose 1.2 percent for the month.

The increase in August follows a disappointing showing in July, when the figure came in flat. That was the worst showing in more than nine years; the last time the figure dipped for McDonald's was in April 2003.

After years of outperforming its rivals, analysts say McDonald's could be heading into a period of slower growth. The company is also facing increasing competition, with Burger King Worldwide Inc. and The Wendy's Co. working to revive their brands.

Revenue in restaurants open at least 13 months is a key measure of a restaurant chain's performance because it strips out the impact of recently opened or closed stores. The figure is a snapshot of money spent on food at both company-owned and franchised restaurants. They do not reflect corporate revenue.

Shares of McDonald's Corp. rose 70 cents at $91.30 in premarket trading Tuesday.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/mcdonalds-sales-figure-bounces-back-august-124659004--finance.html

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