Walgreen October same-store sales rose 6.9 pct

NEW YORK, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Walgreen Co (WAG.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), one of the largest U.S. drugstore chain operators, said on Friday that sales rose 6.9 percent in October at stores open at least a year, helped by higher sales of general merchandise and prescription drugs.

Pharmacy counter same-store sales increased 7.8 percent, while general merchandise sales, also known as front-end sales, were up 5.1 percent at stores open at least a year, the company said.

Total sales jumped 11.8 percent to $4.83 billion.