DSW Leads Retail Ventures to Positive Oct. with 9.1% Comp Gain

Retail Ventures, announced total sales for the four weeks ended November 1, 2003, increased 5.6% to $214.2 million from $202.9 million for the four weeks ended November 2, 2002. The company's same store sales increased 0.9% for the four week period.

Total sales for the thirty-nine weeks ended November 1, 2003,
increased 5.7% to $1.87 billion from $1.77 billion for the thirty-nine
weeks ended November 2, 2002. The company's same store sales increased
0.9% for the thirty-nine week period.

Retail sales statistics are as follows:

                                   Four weeks ended ($ in thousands)
                                   ---------------------------------
                                 November 1, 2003    November 2, 2002
                                 ----------------    ----------------
                                     $        %         $        %
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Sales
  Value City Department Stores    $113,315   52.9    $117,255   57.8
  DSW Shoe Warehouse                72,336   33.8      59,460   29.3
  Filene's Basement                 28,548   13.3      26,139   12.9
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                                  $214,199  100.0    $202,854  100.0
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

Comparable Sales Percentage
  Value City Department Stores               (3.4)%             (2.2)%
  DSW Shoe Warehouse                          9.1 %              7.5 %
  Filene's Basement                           4.4 %              2.2 %
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              0.9 %              0.5 %
  --------------------------------------------------------------------


                              Thirty-nine weeks ended ($ in thousands)
                              ----------------------------------------
                                 November 1, 2003    November 2, 2002
                                 ----------------    ----------------
                                     $        %         $        %
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total Sales
  Value City Department Stores  $1,054,809   56.3  $1,062,691   59.9
  DSW Shoe Warehouse               591,146   31.5     485,002   27.4
  Filene's Basement                227,810   12.2     224,271   12.7
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                                $1,873,765  100.0  $1,771,964  100.0
  --------------------------------------------------------------------

Comparable Sales Percentage
  Value City Department Stores               (0.4)%             (4.9)%
  DSW Shoe Warehouse                          4.2 %              0.3 %
  Filene's Basement                           0.6 %              1.9 %
  --------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              0.9 %             (3.0)%
  --------------------------------------------------------------------