New York - McDonald's says a key sales figure fell 1.5% in February, its third decline in the past five months.
The US-based company noted that February sales last year benefited from an extra day because it was a leap year.
In the US, the company said sales fell 3.3%. In Europe, they slipped 0.5%, and in the region including Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, they fell 1.6%.
Excluding the impact of the calendar shift, McDonald's says sales rose 1.7% globally.
The figure is a key metric because it strips out the volatility of newly opened and closed locations.