Executive Summary

Online drugstore expects to acquire 800,000-900,000 new customers in 2002, Bellevue, Wash. company reports during 1fourth quarter and year-end sales and earnings call Jan. 29. Firm notes 225,000 new customers joined the site in Q4, bringing total customer base to 2.4 mil. Net sales for fiscal 2001 reached $145.3 mil., up 32.1% from prior-year period. Fourth quarter sales were $43.5 mil., an increase of 20.2%, company says. Drugstore.com reports a loss of $282.8 mil. for the year, including a $178 mil. restructuring charge, compared to $193 mil. loss a year ago. In Q4, firm recorded loss of $182.9 mil. (including a $163 mil. charge) compared to a loss of $43.2 mil. in 2000 period. Drugstore.com expects to achieve EBITDA profitability by 2003 (2"The Rose Sheet" Jan. 14, 2002, p. 9)...