Value City

Not to be confused with Value City Furniture, a retail brand under American Signature ownership.

Value City Department Store

File:Value City Discount Store Final Logo.png
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Retail
Founded	1917 (1917)
Founder	Ephraim Schottenstein
Defunct	Template:End date and age
Fate	Chapter 11 Bankruptcy; Liquidation Sale
Headquarters	Columbus, Ohio , U.S.
Area served	United States
Products	Clothing, jewelry, home furnishings, furniture
Revenue	-$3,000,000 (2008)
Parent	VCHI Acquisition Company

Value City Department Stores operated as a U.S.-based department store chain comprising 113 outlets. Established in 1917 by Ephraim Schottenstein, a traveling salesman from central Ohio, the chain specialized in off-price retailing. It offered clothing, jewelry, and household items at prices below the manufacturer's suggested retail price. The business model primarily involved selling buyout and closeout inventory, including occasional irregular garments and factory seconds. Within the Columbus, Ohio market, stores bore the Schottenstein's name until that branding was discontinued in 2008. Additionally, three locations in the Metro Detroit region operated under the co-branding of Crowley's Value City. Between 1984 and 1995, Schottenstein also owned the jewelry retailer Shifrin-Willens.

File:ValueCity DepartmentStore.jpg

Representative Value City Department Store architecture.

The inaugural store opened at 1887 Parsons Avenue in Columbus, Ohio, situated at the intersection of Parsons Avenue and Reeb Avenue; this location ceased operations in 2006. The company was once associated with Value City Furniture, a separate entity founded in 1948 that currently runs 130 stores and serves as the corporate sponsor for Value City Arena, home court for the Ohio State University men's and women's basketball teams.

Expansion into the St. Louis market occurred in 1995 with a new outlet launched in Webster Groves, Missouri, part of St. Louis County, Missouri. At that point, Value City operated 79 stores nationwide.

In 1999, Value City acquired the Grandpa's discount store chain, which included 15 outlets within the St. Louis metropolitan area.

Retail Ventures initially planned to divest Value City to concentrate on its more lucrative brands. In 2007, the company announced plans to sell up to 24 stores to Burlington. However, on January 23, 2008, Retail Ventures disclosed it had transferred an ownership interest in Value City to the newly formed VCHI Acquisition Company. Throughout 2008, Value City continued closing select locations while restructuring product offerings at remaining stores. Ultimately, on October 27, 2008, Value City declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy and revealed intentions to shutter all remaining outlets. The liquidation process concluded by December 23, 2008.