Top Retailers

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid's comparable-store sales increased by 3.6% in March, while total drug store sales increased by 3.1%, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

Front-end comps increased by 4.6%, while pharmacy comps increased by 3.2%. Total sales were nearly $2 billion, compared with $1.93 billion in March 2011.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is offering new coupon booklets and other services to help customers make it through allergy season, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

MINNEAPOLIS — For the second month in a row, Target’s same-store sales were nearly double the expected amount. As a result, the company increased its first-quarter guidance.

Same-store sales increased 7.3%, with half of the increase driven by growth in average transaction size combined with an increase in comparable-store transactions. Overall comparable-store sales in March 2011 decreased 5.5%.

FULLERTON, Calif. — Supervalu announced that its Albertsons/Sav-On banner is offering inoculations for whooping cough at 54 of its pharmacies in Washington.

The pertussis “Tdap” vaccine booster is recommended for those ages 11 years and older. Albertsons/Sav-On pharmacists are available to administer the vaccination to patients ages 12 years and older, the company said.

The vaccine is available without a prescription or appointment at $54.99 per immunization and a majority of prescription insurances are accepted.

ISSAQUAH, Wash. — Sales for the month of March increased 10% for Costco to $9.13 billion, the wholesaler reported Thursday.

For the five weeks ended Apr. 1, comparable-store sales for the month were 6%; U.S. comps were 6% and international comps were 7%. Excluding inflation of gasoline prices and foreign currencies comparable sales for these periods were 6%, including 5% for the United States and 9% for international.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Acosta Sales and Marketing, a full-service sales and marketing agency in the consumer packaged goods industry, on Wednesday named former Kroger president and COO Don McGeorge to its board of directors.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy officially announced on Wednesday the April schedule of Project Health (Proyecto Salud in Spanish), a wellness program delivering more than $21 million worth of free health screenings to multicultural communities throughout 2012.

As part of National Minority Health Month, CVS/pharmacy will offer free health screenings at select stores in African-American and Latino communities in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens posted March sales of $6 billion, a decrease of 4.3% compared with the same month in fiscal year 2011.