McDonald's on Monday reported a small rise in global sales at established restaurants for May, after a rebound in China helped offset another month of disappointing results from the fast-food chain's home market of the United States.
McDonald's U.S. sales at restaurants open at least 13 months were down 1 percent in May, marking the seventh straight month of declines as it struggles with stiff competition from resurgent rivals such as Wendy's and Burger King Worldwide, internal missteps that have slowed service and image-denting protests from its minimum-wage workers.
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Analysts polled by Consensus Metrix had expected May same-restaurant sales to rise 0.1 percent for the United States, which accounted for 31 percent of McDonald's revenue in 2013. The company does not break out annual revenue totals for China.
The world's biggest restaurant chain by revenue said worldwide sales at restaurants open at least 13 months rose 0.9 percent last month, slightly better than the 0.8 percent gain analysts expected.
Same-restaurant sales grew 2.5 percent in the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region, which includes China. That result easily topped analysts' average forecast for a 0.7 percent gain. In May 2013, an avian flu outbreak in China dragged down the region's results.
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Europe, which contributed 40 percent of revenue last year and is McDonald's top region for sales, put up a gain of 0.4 percent, just shy of the 0.5 percent rise analysts expected.
McDonald's shares were trading at $101.45, down 0.5 percent. (Click here for the latest quote.)
—By Reuters