McDonald's Puts Focus on the Customer in Challenging U.S. Market

Shares of McDonald's are trading slightly lower on Thursday after reporting same-store sales in April that rose 1.2%, in line with analyst estimates. Sales at existing U.S. locations were flat, an improvement from five straight months of declines. McDonald's says the U.S. market remains challenging, and CEO Don Thompson said in a statement, "We are strengthening our business plans by emphasizing customer-driven strategies." The company ran in a free coffee promotion during part of April.