McDonald’s Corp. (Oak Brook, Ill.), the world’s largest restaurant company, reported an 8.1 percent increase in systemwide sales in June.
U.S. comparable sales increased 5.2 percent for the month. Europe comparable sales increased 4.5 percent and global comparable sales increased 5.9 percent.
European sales rose on the strength of World Cup ticket giveaways in Britain and a Big Mac promotion in Germany, the host of the tournament.
In the United States, meals linked to the movie “Cars” and coffee advertising were said to have increased demand.
“Our worldwide efforts to make the McDonald's experience increasingly relevant to today's consumers continue to deliver results,” said ceo Jim Skinner. “In the U.S., McDonald's continues to be the favored breakfast destination, and we are now attracting even more customers. This positive breakfast trend and a popular Happy Meal promotion helped drive U.S. comparable sales up.
“We're building sales throughout Europe by appealing to a broad range of customer preferences with premium sandwiches and salads, classic menu favorites and everyday low-price offerings,” Skinner said. “We also shared their passion for the World Cup with exciting promotions in June.”
The company also profited by sales of Chipotle stock, which added 10 cents a share to profit. McDonald’s sold 5 million shares of Chipotle in a secondary offering completed in May. Chipotle, owned by McDonald’s since 1998, went public in January.