UPDATE 1-Rite Aid June same-store sales down 0.4 pct

July 3 (Reuters) - Rite Aid Corp (RAD.N: Quote, Profile, Research), the No. 3 U.S. drugstore chain, said June sales at stores open at least one year fell 0.4 percent, hurt by lower sales at its Brooks and Eckerd drugstores.

Pharmacy same-store sales dropped 0.5 percent, hurt by generic drug introductions and the switch of allergy medicine Zyrtec to over-the-counter status, while front-end same store sales fell 0.2 percent.

Two analysts, on average, expected a 0.5 percent drop in June same-store sales, with a 0.5 percent fall in front-end sales and a 0.7 decrease in pharmacy sales, according to Thomson Reuters Estimates.

June same-store sales include the acquisition of the Brooks and Eckerd stores, which Rite Aid bought in 2007 to compete better with larger rivals Walgreen Co (WAG.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and CVS Caremark (CVS.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

Walgreen reported a 3.4 percent rise in June same-store sales on Wednesday. It also said pharmacy same-store sales were hurt by the introduction of generic drugs and the shift of Zyrtec to over-the-counter status. Rite Aid said excluding the Brooks and Eckerd stores, June same-store sales rose 2.6 percent over the prior-year period, with pharmacy same-store sales rising 2.5 percent and front-end same-store sales growing 2.9 percent.

Prescription revenue accounted for 66.5 percent of total sales for June. Total sales fell 2.5 percent to $2.02 billion, the company said.

Shares of the Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based company were up about 1.5 percent at $1.38 in early morning trade on the New York Stock Exchange. (Reporting by Anne Pallivathuckal in Bangalore; Editing by Bernard Orr)