McDonald's October same-store sales falls

(Reuters) - McDonald's Corp's (MCD.N) sales fell at established restaurants in all regions last month, hurt by stiff competition in the United States and the fallout from a supplier scandal in Japan and China.

Worldwide sales at restaurants open at least 13 months fell 0.5 percent. Analysts on average estimated a 2.2 percent decline, according to research firm Consensus Metrix.

McDonald's shares were up nearly 1 percent in premarket trading.

Same-restaurant sales in the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa region fell 4.2 percent, the company said on Monday. Analysts estimated a 6.1 percent drop.

Diners shunned the chain in China and Japan after a television news expose showed workers mishandling meat at a key supplier in China, and McDonald's scrambled to find new sources for ingredients to make its Chicken McNuggets and Big Macs.

Comparable sales in the United States declined 1 percent, less than the 1.9 percent fall analysts expected.

The world's biggest restaurant chain by revenue has been struggling to compete with resurgent rivals such as Wendy's Co (WEN.O) and Burger King Worldwide Inc (BKW.N) as well as privately held chains such as In-N-Out Burger and Chick-fil-A.

Europe's comparable sales decreased 0.7 per cent due to store closures in Russia and a weakening euro and ruble.

(Reporting by Lisa Baertlein in Los Angeles and Devika Krishna Kumar in Bangalore; Editing by Maju Samuel and Joyjeet Das)