Value City Department Stores, Inc. announced today total sales for the five weeks ended January 4, 2003, increased 11.8% to $322.4 million from $288.5 million for the five weeks ended January 5, 2002. Total sales for the five weeks ended January 4, 2003 include $33.6 million attributable to operations of VCM Ltd. acquired effective February 2, 2002. The company’s same store sales decreased 1.8% for the five week period.

Total sales for the forty-eight weeks ended January 4, 2003, increased 7.5% to $2.3 billion from $2.2 billion for the forty-eight weeks ended January 5, 2002. Fiscal 2002 total sales include $128.7 million attributable to operations of VCM Ltd. The company’s same store sales decreased 3.4% for the forty-eight week period.

    Retail sales statistics are as follows:
                                        Five weeks ended ($ in thousands)
                                     January 4, 2003       January 5, 2002

                                       $         %             $          %
    Total Sales
    Value City Department Stores   $225,479     69.9      $199,737      69.2
    DSW Shoe Warehouse               58,861     18.3        48,517      16.8
    Filene's Basement                38,102     11.8        40,230      14.0
                                   $322,442    100.0      $288,484     100.0

    Comparable Sales Percentage
    Value City Department Stores                (1.8)%                   3.6 %
    DSW Shoe Warehouse                          (0.4)%                  (1.9)%
    Filene's Basement                           (3.6)%                   8.2 %
                                                (1.8)%                   3.5 %

                                    Forty-eight weeks ended ($ in thousands)
                                    January 4, 2003         January 5, 2002
                                       $         %             $         %
    Total Sales
    Value City Department Stores $1,448,822     62.1     $1,411,587     65.1
    DSW Shoe Warehouse              594,001     25.5        478,462     22.1
    Filene's Basement               289,650     12.4        279,278     12.8
                                 $2,332,473    100.0     $2,169,327    100.0

    Comparable Sales Percentage
    Value City Department Stores                (5.1)%                  (3.5)%
    DSW Shoe Warehouse                           0.4 %                  (0.2)%
    Filene's Basement                            0.4 %                   2.8 %
                                                (3.4)%                  (2.3)%