McDonald’s suffers global sales drop for first quarter

GlobalPost

The world's largest restaurant chain, McDonald's, announced Friday a decline in global sales for its first quarter, and warned that its April figures were expected to dip also.

Global sales at restaurants open at least 13 months were down 1%, a decline last seen a decade ago, in 2003, AP reported.

The company attributed the poor figures to changing eating habits, challenging economic times and intensifying competition from other chains like Chipotle and Wendy's. 

The most significant decline occurred in Asia Pacific, Africa and the Middle East with a 3.3% drop, Forbes reported.

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In the US, sales fell 1.2% despite the company's Dollar Menu.

The chain said it intends to focus on healthy meal options and focus on initiatives that drive sales and restaurant profitability, the Wall Street Journal reported.

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