BUSINESS NEWS: Walmex Mexican Retailer Reports April Sales Drop Compared to Last Year

Walmex, the 31%-Walmart-owned Mexican retailer, experienced a sales drop in April as compared to the year previous, due, in part to an unfavourable calendar effect and the additional sales that were generated last year from the H1N1 outbreak.

___________________

MEXICO CITY (Dow Jones)--Retailer Wal-Mart de Mexico SAB (WMMVY, WALMEX.MX) said Thursday its same-store sales in Mexico fell 1.9% in April from the year-ago month, due to an unfavorable calendar effect and additional sales last year generated by the influenza outbreak.

Walmex, as Mexico's largest retailer is also known, said its total sales last month rose 20% to 25.45 billion pesos ($1.96 billion), including the addition of stores it acquired in March in Central America.

Total sales in Mexico rose 4.6% to MXN22.12 billion.

The decline in Mexican same-store sales was the result of 2.2% more customers who spent on average 4% less per visit than in April 2009.

The company's same-store sales had risen 9.1% in April 2009 as the H1N1 flu outbreak led Mexicans to stock up on basic supplies in the last week of April. The Easter holiday, which also tends to push up supermarket sales, was in April last year while, in 2010, Easter week was divided between March and April.

SOURCE: Anthony Harrup, Dow Jones Newswires; 5255-5980-5176;