UPDATE 1-Rite Aid promotes marketing executive to COO

NEW YORK, June 24 (Reuters) - Drugstore chain operator Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N) said Thursday it has appointed one of its top marketing executives to be its new chief operating officer, a position previously held by its new chief executive.

Ken Martindale, who will oversee the chain's store operations, marketing, merchandising and supply chain management, was previously senior executive vice president of merchandising, marketing and logistics. He joined Rite Aid in December 2008.

Martindale is taking over the COO job from John Standley, who became Rite Aid's chief executive on Wednesday after the retailer's annual meeting.

Rite Aid reported a smaller-than-expected quarterly loss on Wednesday, helped by lower expenses and charges related to drugstore closings. [ID:nN18156887]

Sales at stores open at least a year fell 1 percent during its first fiscal quarter, including a decline of 1.3 percent in sales of general merchandise like milk, toothpaste and cosmetics, and a decline of 0.9 percent in the pharmacy. (Reporting by Phil Wahba, editing by Gerald E. McCormick)