Family Dollar June same-store sales top estimates

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Discount chain Family Dollar Stores Inc on Thursday said sales at stores open at least a year rose 8 percent in June, beating Wall Street estimates.

Analysts, on average, had expected a same-store sales increase of 5.6 percent, according to Thomson Reuters Estimates, while the company itself had forecast a gain of 6 percent.

Total sales for the five weeks ended July 5 rose 10.7 percent to $715 million.

When Family Dollar, which sells most of its merchandise for below $10, reported quarterly results earlier this month, it said June sales were tracking above expectations, boosted by U.S. government tax rebates.

For July, the retailer said it expects same-store sale to rise 3 percent to 5 percent.

(Reporting by Erin Zureick; editing by John Wallace)