McDonald's blames economy for weak July

McDonald's Corp. is partly blaming a sluggish economy for keeping a key sales figure flat in July.

The world's biggest hamburger chain says revenue at restaurants open at least 13 months was the same as a year ago, as diners pulled back amid a tough economy.

The figure dipped 0.6 percent in Europe because of weakness in Germany and several Southern European markets. It fell 1.5 percent in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region -- a key growth area for McDonald's.

McDonald's also says it faced a tough comparison with last July, when it launched the mango pineapple smoothie.

The figures are key measure of performance because they exclude the impact of recently opened or closed stores. They include franchised restaurants and do not reflect corporate revenue.