OAK BROOK Ill. McDonald's Corp. reported an 8.2-percent global same-store sales gain for March, and a 6.3-percent global jump for the first quarter. At U.S. McDonald's restaurants, same-store sales increased 6.2 percent in March and rose 4.4 percent for the quarter. The U.S. results were driven by the successful Snack Wrap menu offerings and the chain's "everyday affordability," McDonald's said.
Comparable sales in Europe and in Asia also increased, and the positive sales gains led McDonald's to report preliminary first-quarter, per-share earnings of 62 cents per share, above analyst projections for earnings of 57 cents per share, and 26.5 percent above year-earlier earnings of 49 cents per share.
