UPDATE 1-Walgreen April same-store sales slip 0.2 percent

* April same-store sales declined 0.2 pct

* Pharmacy same-store sales up 1.1 pct

* Front-end same-store sales down 2.6 pct

* March/April combined same-store sales up 1 pct

CHICAGO, May 5 (Reuters) - Walgreen Co (WAG.N) said sales at drugstores open at least a year fell 0.2 percent in April, slightly better than the 0.3 percent decline expected by three analysts, according to Thomson Reuters data.

Same-store sales rose 1 percent in March and April combined, a measure that gives a better picture of the No. 1 U.S. drugstore chain's performance since March sales were helped by an earlier Easter. Same-store sales rose 2.3 percent in March, the retailer's biggest monthly increase since November.

In April, pharmacy same-store sales rose 1.1 percent, while same-store sales of general merchandise fell 2.6 percent.

Total April sales rose 5.9 percent to $5.68 billion. The acquisition of New York's Duane Reade, which closed last month, added 2.2 percentage points to the rise in total sales. Results from those stores were not included in the same-store sales calculations.

As of April 30, Walgreen operated 7,507 drugstores. (Reporting by Jessica Wohl; Editing by Derek Caney)