SHOE CARNIVAL INC - Annual Report: 2004 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant of Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of the registrant's knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.    [ ]

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).

The aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant based on the last sale price for such stock at August 1, 2003 (the last business day of the registrant's most recently completed second fiscal quarter) was approximately $104,275,048 (assuming solely for the purposes of this calculation that all Directors and executive officers of the registrant are "affiliates").

Number of Shares of Common Stock, $.01 par value, outstanding at April 12, 2004 were 12,805,354.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Certain information contained in the Definitive Proxy Statement for the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Registrant to be held on June 11, 2004 is incorporated by reference into PART III hereof.

Annual Report to Securities and Exchange Commission
January 31, 2004

Shoe Carnival, Inc. is one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing family footwear retailers. We offer customers a broad assortment of moderately priced dress, casual and athletic footwear for men, women and children with emphasis on national and regional name brands. We differentiate ourselves from our competitors by our distinctive, highly promotional in-store marketing effort and large stores that average 11,600 square feet, generate an average of approximately $2.5 million in annual sales and house an average inventory of approximately 28,500 pairs of shoes per location. As of January 31, 2004, we operated 237 stores in 24 states in the Midwest, South and Southeast regions of the United States.

We make available free of charge through the Investor Relations portion of our Internet website at www.shoecarnival.com our annual reports on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file such material with, or furnish it to, the Securities and Exchange Commission.

We are an Indiana corporation that was initially formed in Delaware in 1993 and reincorporated in Indiana in 1996.

Our goal is to continue to grow our net sales and earnings by strengthening our position as the logical destination store for our customers' footwear needs. Key elements of our business strategy are as follows:

We offer a distinctive shopping experience. Our stores combine competitive pricing with a highly promotional, in-store marketing effort that encourages customer participation and creates a fun and exciting shopping experience. We promote a high-energy retail environment by decorating with bright lights and bold colors, and by featuring a stage and barker as the focal point in each store. With a microphone, this barker, or "mic-person", advertises current specials, organizes contests and games, and assists and educates customers with the features and location of merchandise. Our mic-person offers limited-duration promotions throughout the day, encouraging the customers to take immediate advantage of our value pricing. We believe this highly promotional atmosphere results in various competitive advantages, including increased multiple unit sales; the building of a loyal, repeat customer base; the creation of word-of-mouth advertising; and enhanced sell through of in-season goods.

We offer a broad merchandise assortment. Our objective is to be the destination store-of-choice for a wide range of consumers seeking moderately priced, current season name brand and private label footwear. Our product assortment includes dress and casual shoes, sandals, boots and a wide assortment of athletic shoes for the entire family. The average store carries approximately 28,500 pairs of shoes in four general categories - men's, women's, children's and athletics. In addition to footwear, our stores carry selected accessory items complementary to the sale of footwear. In fiscal year 2003, approximately 95% of our sales represented name brand products. We place significant emphasis on visual merchandising and the promotion of nationally recognized name brands. We communicate the importance of these brands through creative signage and other visual aids on the fixtures throughout the stores.

We believe that by offering a wide selection of both athletic and non-athletic footwear, we are able to reduce our exposure to shifts in fashion preferences between those categories. Our ability to identify and react to fashion changes is a key factor in our sales and earnings performance.

We offer value to our customers. Our marketing effort targets middle income, value-conscious consumers seeking name brand footwear for all age groups. We believe that by offering a wide selection of popular styles of name brand merchandise at competitive prices, we generate broad customer appeal. Additionally, the time-conscious customer appreciates the convenience of one-stop shopping for the entire family. We also believe our highly promotional in-store shopping environment contributes to a reputation of value pricing throughout the store.

We maintain an efficient store level cost structure. Our cost-efficient store operations and real estate strategy enable us to price products competitively and earn attractive store level returns. Low labor costs are achieved by housing merchandise directly on the selling floor in an open-stock format, enabling customers who choose to serve themselves. This reduces the staffing required to assist customers and reduces store level labor costs as a percentage of sales. We prefer to locate stores predominantly in strip shopping centers in order to take advantage of lower occupancy costs and maximize our exposure to value-oriented shoppers.

We rely heavily on information technology. We have invested significant resources in information technology. Our proprietary inventory management and point-of-sale systems provide corporate management, buyers and store managers with the timely information necessary to monitor and control all phases of operations. Our store managers are able to monitor sales and gross profit margins on a real-time basis throughout the day. Reacting to sales trends, our mic-people use this information to choose from among a number of product promotions supplied by our centralized merchandising staff. Our data warehouse enables the buying staff to analyze sales, margin and inventory levels by store, by day, down to the size of shoe if necessary. Using this information, our merchandise managers meet regularly with vendors to compare their product sales, gross margins and return on inventory investment against previously stated objectives. We believe timely access to key business data has enabled us in the past to drive annual comparable store sales increases, manage our markdown activity and improve inventory turnover.

Key elements of our growth strategy are as follows:

We will continue to grow our store base. The majority of our sales and earnings growth is expected to continue to be generated by the opening of new stores. In 2004, we expect to open between 20 and 25 stores, net of store closings. These new stores will be located in large and small markets within our existing geographic areas. Our intention is to fill in certain under-penetrated markets with additional stores, thereby increasing the performance of the overall market. In addition to filling in larger markets, we intend to enter smaller markets within our current geographic areas where we can have immediate market penetration with one or two stores. In smaller markets we can advertise more effectively from the beginning which helps to create immediate brand awareness. Beyond 2004, we intend to add stores at a rate of 10% to 15% each year until we see a more robust retail environment.

We typically enter larger markets (populations greater than 400,000) by opening two or more stores at approximately the same time. In smaller markets that can only support a single store, we generally will seek locations in reasonably close proximity to other existing markets. This strategy supports more efficient management and reduces distribution costs. We believe the advantages of clustering stores in existing markets will lead to cost efficiencies and overall incremental sales gains that should more than offset any adverse effect on sales of existing stores.

One of our major goals is to improve our operating margins. We are focused on improving our operating margins by increasing our gross margin and leveraging general and administrative expenses against a higher sales base. We intend to increase gross profit margins by reducing the frequency of storewide entire-stock promotions and focusing markdowns more on poor performing or slow moving merchandise. Additionally, we will operate on leaner inventories, particularly in seasonal fashion merchandise, thereby reducing our exposure during end-of-season clearance periods.

A longer-term opportunity to increase our gross margin is to increase women's non-athletic sales as a percentage of our total business. Women's product has historically achieved the highest gross margin. To achieve this goal, we have improved our women's branded merchandise assortment by offering more prominent national brands, particularly in the dress category. Secondly, to highlight our women's brands, we introduced a new store design in 2003 that prominently displays women's branded product immediately upon entering the store.

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Our merchandising strategy is designed to provide a large selection of moderately priced footwear for the entire family. Our stores carry an average of approximately 28,500 pairs of shoes featuring a broad assortment of current-season name brand footwear, supplemented with private label merchandise and select name brand closeouts. Our stores also carry complementary accessories such as handbags, wallets, shoe care items and socks. The mix of merchandise and the brands offered in a particular store are based upon the demographics of each market, among other factors.

Our mic-person offers limited-duration promotions throughout the day, encouraging customers to take immediate advantage of value pricing. We emphasize name brand merchandise to customers with creative signage and by prominently displaying selected brands on end caps, focal walls and within the aisles. These displays may highlight a product offering of a single vendor or may make a seasonal or lifestyle statement by highlighting similar footwear from multiple vendors. These visual merchandise techniques make it easier for customers to shop and focus attention on key name brands. Expenses for signage and visual displays highlighting a particular brand will typically be partially or fully reimbursed by the vendor.

The table below sets forth our percentage of sales by product category for fiscal 2003, 2002 and 2001.

(1)  Children's includes children's athletic shoes.
(2)  Includes men's and women's sizes only.

Women's, men's and children's non-athletic footwear categories are further divided into dress, casual, sport, sandals and boots. Athletic shoes are classified by functionality, such as running, basketball or fitness shoes. In 2003, athletic styles, including children's sizes, represented slightly more than half of our footwear sales.

Our pricing strategy is designed to emphasize value. By combining current season name brand product with promotional pricing, we feel that we create a better value for customers. Initial pricing decisions are guided by gross profit margin targets, which vary by merchandise category and depend on whether the item is name brand or private label merchandise. Markdowns are centrally managed by the buying staff and communicated to the stores through information systems as needed.

In-store signage is used extensively to highlight sales promotions and to advertise promotional pricing to meet or beat competitors' sale prices.

In-store promotions are a key element in our marketing effort. By utilizing both planned and impromptu contests and games, store managers create an environment that encourages customer interaction with store personnel. For example, with a spin of the Spin-N-Win™ Wheel, a customer is enticed to purchase a second pair of shoes by winning an on the spot discount. Promotions of this type exemplify our emphasis on fun and excitement in order to enhance our customers' total shopping experience.

We use various forms of media advertising to communicate the exceptional values offered on specific shoes or entire product categories. Approximately 54% of our total advertising budget was directed to television and radio in 2003. Print media (including newspaper ads, inserts and direct mail) and outdoor advertising account for the balance of the budget. A special effort is made to utilize the cooperative advertising dollars offered by vendors whenever possible. Major promotions during the grand openings and peak selling periods allow customers to win prizes such as cruises, computers, merchandise or cash.

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We strive to make each store opening a major retail event. Grand openings feature an inflatable theme park, contests, cash and prize giveaways, special celebrity appearances and live musical performances. We believe our grand openings help to establish the high-energy, promotional atmosphere that develops a loyal, repeat customer base and generates word-of-mouth advertising.

The number of stores opened and closed for 2003, 2002 and 2001 were as follows:

At January 31, 2004, we had 237 stores located in 24 states, primarily in the Midwest, South and Southeast regions of the United States. Although five stores are located in enclosed malls, we prefer strip shopping center locations where occupancy costs are typically lower and we enjoy greater operating freedom to implement our non-traditional retail methods. We feel that our target customers enjoy the convenience offered by strip shopping centers as opposed to enclosed malls.

All of our stores are leased rather than owned. We believe the flexibility afforded by leasing allows us to avoid the inherent risks of owning real estate, particularly with respect to under-performing stores. Before entering a new market, we perform a market, demographic and competition analysis to evaluate the suitability of the potential market. Potential store site selection criteria include, among other factors, market demographics, traffic counts, the tenant mix of a potential strip shopping center, visibility within the center and from major thoroughfares, overall retail activity of the area and proposed lease terms. The time required to open a store after signing a lease depends primarily upon the landlord's ability to deliver the premises. After we accept the premises from the landlord, we can generally open a store within 45 days.

Critical to the success of opening new stores in larger markets or geographic areas is our ability to cluster stores. Clustering involves the operation of multiple locations in a particular metropolitan area or in several smaller markets located in reasonable proximity to one another. The clustering of stores creates cost efficiencies by enabling us to leverage store expenses with respect to advertising, distribution and management costs.

As of January 31, 2004, our stores averaged approximately 11,600 square feet, ranging in size from 6,500 to 26,500 square feet. Our current store prototype utilizes between 8,000 and 15,000 square feet, depending upon, among other factors, the location of the store and the population base the store is expected to service. The sales area of most stores is approximately 85% of the gross store size.

Our stores are designed and fixtured to reflect the high energy level of our retail concept. Stores are typically equipped with a sound system, microphone and entertainment devices such as the Spin-N-Win™ Wheel. With an open stock format, merchandise is displayed by category, with athletic footwear located in the center of the store to provide a transition between women's and men's footwear.

Updated Store Design. The store design and logo utilized by 80% of our stores was introduced in 1996. This design conveys a carnival-like atmosphere through the use of distinctive signs, flashing colored lights, large mirrors and bold colors. While we believe the existing design will continue to be successful into the future, a new store design was developed and rolled out in all stores opened in 2003. We will incorporate the new design in stores as they are remodeled, which normally occurs upon lease renewal. The new design incorporates the excitement and energy that makes Shoe Carnival distinctive, but features a contemporary look and feel by utilizing a more muted color scheme, larger-than-life sized graphics, better visual displays and an improved wayfinding system. In addition, the Shoe Carnival logo has been redesigned to reflect the store's new color scheme and contemporary look.

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Management of store operations is the responsibility of our Executive Vice President - Store Operations, who is assisted by divisional vice presidents, regional managers and the individual store general managers. There are two divisions designated as the North and South Divisions. Each divisional vice president is responsible for approximately twelve regions, but is ultimately expected to manage up to fifteen regions. Each regional manager is responsible for the operation of between four and fifteen stores and is required to visit each store periodically, concentrating more heavily on under-performing stores. Regional managers meet with their respective divisional vice president and other members of senior management on a periodic basis to discuss strategies, merchandise, advertising, financial performance and personnel requirements.

Each store has a general manager and up to four assistant managers, depending on sales volume. General managers and most assistant managers are paid a salary, while all other store employees are paid on an hourly basis. We provide an incentive compensation plan for regional and general managers based primarily upon the attainment of sales, expense control and profitability goals.

Administrative functions are centrally controlled from corporate headquarters. These functions include accounting, purchasing, store maintenance, information systems, advertising, distribution and pricing. Regional and general managers are expected and encouraged to provide feedback to all corporate departments to improve efficiencies. Regional and general managers are charged with making certain merchandising decisions necessary to maximize sales and profits primarily through merchandise placement, signage and timely clearance of slower selling items.

We operate a single 200,000 square foot distribution facility in Evansville, Indiana. The distribution center processes virtually all merchandise prior to shipping to the stores. At a minimum, this includes count verification, price and bar code labeling of each unit (when not performed by the manufacturer), redistribution of an order into size assortments and allocation of shipments to individual stores. Once a distribution order form is received from the buying staff, the remainder of the distribution process, including packing, allocating, storing and shipping is essentially paperless. Merchandise is shipped to each store from one to two times per week, depending on store volume, proximity to other stores and proximity to the distribution center. The majority of shipments are handled by a dedicated carrier, with occasional use of common carriers.

We recently completed a forward-looking logistics study evaluating the need for additional distribution center capacity as we grow. The results of the study identified the need to have additional distribution capacity available by the end of 2006. We intend to replace our existing 200,000 square foot distribution center with a new 450,000 square foot facility, the construction of which is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2005. Preliminary cost estimates for land, building and equipment are approximately $30 million.

Maintaining fresh, fashionable merchandise is critical to our success. Our buyers stay in touch with evolving trends by shopping fashion-leading markets, attending national trade shows, gathering vendor input and monitoring the current styles shown in leading fashion and lifestyle magazines. Management of the purchasing function is the responsibility of our Executive Vice President - General Merchandise Manager. Regional managers are expected to provide input to our merchandising staff regarding market specific fashion trends.

We purchase merchandise from over 160 footwear vendors. In 2003, three suppliers, Nike USA, Inc., Reebok International Ltd., and Skechers USA, Inc. each accounted for more than 10% of net sales and together accounted for approximately 35% of net sales. A loss of any of our key suppliers in certain product categories could have a material adverse effect on our business. As is common in the industry, we do not have any long-term contracts with suppliers.

We have devoted significant resources to expand our sophisticated information technology systems. Our network connects our corporate office to every store, providing up-to-date sales and inventory information as required. Each store has an independent point-of-sale controller, with two to 12 point-of-sale terminals per store. To provide maximum flexibility and maintain data integrity, our information systems are based upon relational database technology. Our distribution facility utilizes a spread spectrum radio frequency network to assure accurate, real-time information throughout the distribution operation. Each member of the buying and distribution staff has on-line access to up-to-date sales and inventory information broken down by store, style, color, size and width. Additional data analysis can be quickly provided on demand by using either a fourth generation language programming tool or personal computer tools that access our database.

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A state of the art point-of-sales system uses bar code technology to capture sales, gross margin and inventory information. The system provides, in addition to other features, full price management (including price look-up), promotion tracking capabilities (in support of the spontaneous nature of the in-store price promotions), real-time sales and gross margin analysis by product category at the store level and customer tracking.

The retail footwear business is highly competitive. We believe the principal competitive factors in our industry are merchandise selection, price, fashion, quality, location, store environment and service. We compete primarily with department stores, shoe stores, sporting goods stores and mass merchandisers.

We compete with most department stores and traditional shoe stores by offering lower prices. We compete with off-price retailers, mass merchandisers and discount stores by offering a wider and deeper selection of merchandise.

Many of our competitors are significantly larger and have substantially greater financial and other resources. However, we believe that our distinctive retail format, in combination with our wide merchandise selection, competitive prices and low operating costs, enable us to compete effectively.

At January 31, 2004, we had approximately 3,750 employees, of which approximately 2,050 were employed on a part-time or seasonal basis. The number of employees fluctuates during the year primarily due to seasonality. None of our employees are represented by a labor union.

We attribute a large portion of our success in various areas of cost control to our inclusion of virtually all management level employees in incentive compensation plans. We contribute all or a portion of the cost of medical, disability and life insurance coverage for those employees who are eligible to participate in company-sponsored plans. Additionally, we sponsor a 401(k) retirement plan which is open to all employees who have met the minimum age and workhour requirements. All employees are eligible to receive discounts on purchases from our stores. We consider our relationship with our employees to be satisfactory.

We own the following federally registered trademarks and servicemarks:  Shoe Carnival^®, The Carnival^®, Nuff Said^®, Donna Lawrence^®, Oak Meadow^®, Victoria Spenser^®, Chase and Brittney's^®, Via Nova^®, Fresh Stuff^®, Innocence^® and Carnival Lites^®. We believe these marks are valuable and, accordingly, intend to maintain the marks and the related registrations. We are not aware of any pending claims of infringement or other challenges to our right to use these marks.

We lease all existing stores and intend to lease all future stores. All leases for existing stores provide for fixed minimum rentals and most provide for contingent rental payments based upon various specified percentages of sales above minimum levels. Certain leases also contain escalation clauses for increases in minimum rentals, operating costs and taxes.

We own our headquarters and distribution center, which are located at 8233 Baumgart Road, Evansville, Indiana. For additional information with respect to our properties, see ITEM 1 "BUSINESS -- Store Location and Design" and "Distribution".

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We are involved in various legal proceedings incidental to the conduct of our business. We do not expect that any such proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our financial position or results of operations.

We did not submit any matters to a vote of security holders during the fourth quarter of the 2003 fiscal year.

Mr. Weaver is Shoe Carnival's largest shareholder and has served as Chairman of the Board since March 1988. From 1978 until February 2, 1993, Mr. Weaver had served as president and chief executive officer of Nine West Group Inc., a designer, developer and marketer of women's footwear. He has over 40 years of experience in the footwear industry. Mr. Weaver is a former director of Nine West Group, Inc. Mr. Weaver serves as chairman and chief executive officer of Jacksonville Jaguars, LTD and chairman and chief executive officer of LC Footwear, LLC.

Mr. Lemond has been employed as President and Chief Executive Officer since September 1996. From March 1988 to September 1996, Mr. Lemond served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Assistant Secretary. On February 3, 1994, Mr. Lemond was promoted to the position of Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Lemond has served as a director since March 1988. Prior to March 1988, he served in similar officer capacities with Russell's Shoe Biz, Inc. Prior to joining Russell's Shoe Biz, Inc. in 1987, Mr. Lemond was a partner with a public accounting firm. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Baker has been employed as Executive Vice President - Store Operations since June 2001. From March 1994 to June 2001, Mr. Baker served as Senior Vice President - Store Operations. From May 1992 to March 1994, Mr. Baker served as Vice President - Store Operations. Prior to that time, he served as one of our regional managers. From 1983 to June 1989, Mr. Baker held various retail positions with Payless ShoeSource.

Mr. Sifford has been employed as Executive Vice President - General Merchandise Manager since June 2001. From April 13, 1997 to June 2001, Mr. Sifford served as Senior Vice President - General Merchandise Manager. Prior to joining us, Mr. Sifford served as merchandise manager-shoes for Belk Store Services, Inc.

Mr. Jackson has been employed as Senior Vice President - Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer since June 2001. From September 1996 to June 2001, Mr. Jackson served as Vice President - Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer. From January 1993 to September 1996, Mr. Jackson served as Vice President - Controller and Chief Accounting Officer. Prior to January 1993, Mr. Jackson held various accounting positions with us. Prior to joining us in 1988, Mr. Jackson was associated with a public accounting firm. He is a Certified Public Accountant.

Mr. Kapp has been employed with us since March 1988, most recently as our Vice President - Merchandise Allocation and Secretary. Prior to assuming his current position, Mr. Kapp held various accounting and retail positions with us.

Our executive officers serve at the discretion of the Board of Directors. There is no family relationship between any of the directors or executive officers.

(Pursuant to General Instruction G(3) of Form 10-K, the foregoing information is included as an unnumbered Item in PART I of this Annual Report in lieu of being included in our Proxy Statement for our 2004 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.)

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Our Common Stock has been quoted on the Nasdaq Stock Market under the trading symbol "SCVL" since March 16, 1993.

The quarterly high and low trading prices for 2003 and 2002 were as follows:

As of April 2, 2004, there were approximately 196 holders of record of the Common Stock.

We do not currently intend to pay cash dividends on our Common Stock in the foreseeable future. The payment of any future dividends will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon, among other things, future earnings, operations, capital requirements, our general financial condition and general business conditions. In addition, our credit agreement contains certain limitations on the payment of dividends.

No unregistered equity securities were sold by us during fiscal 2003.

The information required by this Item concerning securities authorized for issuance under our equity plans has been set forth in or incorporated by reference into PART III, ITEM 12 of this report.

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(In thousands, except share and operating data)

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The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and notes to those statements included in PART II, ITEM 8 of the Form 10-K.

Shoe Carnival, Inc. is one of the nation's largest and fastest-growing family footwear retailers. As of January 31, 2004, we operated 237 stores in 24 states in the Midwest, South and Southeast regions of the United States. We offer a distinctive shopping experience, a broad merchandise assortment and value to our customers while maintaining an efficient store level cost structure.

Our stores combine competitive pricing with a highly promotional, in-store marketing effort that encourages customer participation and creates a fun and exciting shopping experience. We believe this highly promotional atmosphere results in various competitive advantages, including increased multiple unit sales; the building of a loyal, repeat customer base; the creation of word-of-mouth advertising; and enhanced sell through of in-season goods. Our objective is to be the destination store-of-choice for a wide range of consumers seeking moderately priced, current season name brand and private label footwear. Our product assortment includes dress and casual shoes, sandals, boots and a wide assortment of athletic shoes for the entire family. We believe that by offering a wide selection of both athletic and non-athletic footwear, we are able to reduce our exposure to shifts in fashion preferences between those categories. Our ability to identify and react to fashion changes is a key factor in our sales and earnings performance.

Our marketing effort targets middle income, value-conscious consumers seeking name brand footwear for all age groups. We believe that by offering a wide selection of popular styles of name brand merchandise at competitive prices, we generate broad customer appeal. Our cost-efficient store operations and real estate strategy enable us to price products competitively and earn attractive store level returns. Low labor costs are achieved by housing merchandise directly on the selling floor in an open-stock format, enabling customers who choose to serve themselves. This reduces the staffing required to assist customers and reduces store level labor costs as a percentage of sales. We prefer to locate stores predominantly in strip shopping centers in order to take advantage of lower occupancy costs and maximize our exposure to value-oriented shoppers.

Our fiscal year consists of a 52/53 week period ending on the Saturday closest to January 31. Unless otherwise stated, references to the years 2003, 2002 and 2001 relate respectively to the fiscal years ended January 31, 2004, February 1, 2003, and February 2, 2002. Fiscal years 2003, 2002 and 2001 consisted of 52 weeks.

It is necessary for us to include certain judgements in our reported financial results. These judgements involve estimates that are inherently uncertain and actual results could differ materially from these estimates. The accounting policies that require the more significant judgements are:

Merchandise Inventories - Merchandise inventories are stated at the lower of cost or market using the first-in, first-out (FIFO) method. In determining market value, we estimate the future sales price of items of merchandise contained in the inventory as of the balance sheet date. Factors considered in this determination include, among others, current and recently recorded sales prices, the length of time product has been held in inventory and quantities of various product styles contained in inventory. The ultimate amount realized from the sale of certain product could differ materially from our estimates. We also estimate a shrinkage reserve for the period between the last physical count and the balance sheet date. The estimate for the shrinkage reserve can be affected by changes in merchandise mix and changes in actual shrinkage trends.

Valuation of Long-Lived Assets - We review long-lived assets whenever events or circumstances indicate the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable and annually when no such event has occurred. We evaluate the ongoing value of assets associated with retail stores that have been open longer than one year. When undiscounted cash flows estimated to be generated by those assets are less than the carrying value of those assets, impairment losses are recorded. When events such as these occur, the impaired assets are adjusted to estimated fair value and an impairment loss is recorded in selling, general and administrative expenses. Our assumptions and estimates used in the evaluation of impairment, including current and future economic trends for stores, are subject to a high degree of judgement and if actual results or market conditions differ from those anticipated, additional losses may be recorded.

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Deferred Income Taxes - We calculate income taxes in accordance with Statement of Financial Accounting Standards No. 109, "Accounting for Income Taxes", which requires the use of the asset and liability method. Under this method, deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized based on the difference between the consolidated financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax basis. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using the tax rates in effect in the years when those temporary differences are expected to reverse. Inherent in the measurement of these deferred balances are certain judgments and interpretations of existing tax law and other published guidance as applied to our operations. No valuation allowance has been provided for the deferred tax assets. We anticipate that future taxable income, and prior year taxable income during loss carryback periods, will be able to recover the full amount of deferred tax assets. Our effective tax rate considers our judgment of expected tax liabilities in the various taxing jurisdictions within which we are subject to tax. We have also been involved in tax audits. At any given time, multiple tax years are subject to audit by various taxing authorities.

The following table sets forth our results of operations expressed as a percentage of net sales for the following fiscal years:

Net sales increased $38.2 million to $557.9 million in 2003, a 7.4% increase over net sales of $519.7 million in 2002. The increase was attributable to the sales generated by the 37 stores opened in 2003 and the effect of a full year's worth of sales for the 25 stores opened in 2002, partially offset by the closing of seven stores and a comparable store sales decrease of 3.0%. While sales of athletic footwear in our comparable stores increased slightly, our men's, women's and children's non-athletic footwear categories, along with our accessories, each experienced declines in comparable store sales.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased $8.8 million to $158.6 million in 2003, a 5.9% increase from gross profit of $149.8 million in 2002. Our gross profit margin decreased to 28.4% from 28.8% in 2002. As a percentage of sales, the merchandise margin increased 0.2% and buying, distribution and occupancy costs increased 0.6%. The increase in the merchandise margin was primarily driven by increases in our adult athletic category and our children's category. The increase in buying, distribution and occupancy costs was primarily a result of the general deleveraging effect of the negative comparable store sales.

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Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $14.5 million to $138.2 million in 2003 from $123.7 million in 2002. As a percentage of sales, these expenses increased 1.0% in 2003 primarily due to the general deleveraging effect of the negative comparable store sales. During fiscal 2003, we incurred $789,000 in asset retirement costs on store closings, relocations and remodels in addition to impairment costs as compared to $278,000 in fiscal 2002. The aggregate of pre-opening expenses for the 37 new stores in 2003 was approximately $2.5 million, or 0.4% of sales, and was $2.0 million, or 0.4% of sales, for the 25 new stores in 2002.

Interest Expense

Interest expense decreased to $714,000 (net of interest income of $15,000) in 2003 from $785,000 (net of interest income of $35,000) in 2002. The decrease was attributable to a lower effective interest rate partially offset by an increase in average borrowings outstanding. The weighted average interest rate on total debt was 3.0% in 2003 and 4.1% in 2002.

Income Taxes

The effective income tax rate was 38.0% in 2003 and 37.5% in 2002. The effective income tax rate for both years differed from the statutory rate due primarily to state and local income taxes, net of the federal tax benefit. The increase in the effective income tax rate in 2003 was due to higher state income taxes. In 2004, further increases in state income taxes are expected to increase the effective income tax rate to 39.0%.

Net Sales

Net sales increased $43.1 million to $519.7 million in 2002, a 9.1% increase over net sales of $476.6 million in 2001. The increase was attributable to the sales generated by the 25 stores opened in 2002 and the effect of a full year's worth of sales for the 17 stores opened in 2001 (net of one store closed), partially offset by a comparable store sales decrease of 0.4%. The decrease in comparable store sales resulted from the discontinuation of athletic apparel in all stores and handbags in certain stores. Footwear sales in comparable stores were up 0.1% for the year.

Gross Profit

Gross profit increased $14.7 million to $149.8 million in 2002, a 10.9% increase from gross profit of $135.1 million in 2001. Our gross profit margin increased to 28.8% from 28.4% in 2001. As a percentage of sales, the merchandise margin increased 0.6% and buying, distribution and occupancy costs increased 0.2%. The increase in the merchandise margin was primarily driven by increases in our women's non-athletic category and our adult athletic category. The fiscal 2002 key merchandise strategy of lowering merchandise inventory levels of seasonal fashion product in order to reduce our exposure to markdowns has proven successful in strengthening our overall gross profit margin.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses increased $11.0 million to $123.7 million in 2002 from $112.7 million in 2001. As a percentage of sales, these expenses increased 0.1% in 2002 primarily as a result of higher pre-opening costs. The aggregate of pre-opening expenses for the 25 new stores in 2002 was approximately $2.0 million, or 0.4% of sales, and $1.2 million, or 0.3% of sales, for the 18 new stores in 2001.

Interest Expense

Interest expense decreased to $785,000 (net of interest income of $35,000) in 2002 from $2.3 million (net of interest income of $72,000) in 2001. The decrease was attributable to substantially lower average borrowings outstanding and a lower effective interest rate. The weighted average interest rate on total debt was 4.1% in 2002 and 5.6% in 2001.

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Income Taxes

The effective income tax rate was 37.5% in 2002 and 2001. The effective income tax rate for both years differed from the statutory rate due primarily to state and local income taxes, net of the federal tax benefit.

Our sources and uses of cash are summarized as follows:

Our primary sources of funds are cash flows from operations and borrowings under our revolving credit facility. Excluding changes in operating assets and liabilities, $29.1 million, $30.0 million and $24.8 million was provided by operating activities in 2003, 2002 and 2001, respectively.

Working capital increased to $116.9 million at January 31, 2004 from $96.2 million at February 1, 2003. The current ratio at January 31, 2004 was 2.9 as compared to 2.6 at February 1, 2003. Long-term debt as a percentage of total capital (long-term debt plus shareholders' equity) was 13.2% at January 31, 2004, as compared with 10.6% at February 1, 2003.

The increase in working capital was primarily due to the increase in merchandise inventory. Merchandise inventories increased $19.0 million to $165.1 million at January 31, 2004 compared with $146.1 million at February 1, 2003. During 2003, our key merchandise strategy has centered on lowering merchandise inventory levels of seasonal fashion product in order to increase the merchandise margin. While the number of stores in operation at the end of fiscal 2003 increased 14.5% compared with the end of fiscal 2002, merchandise inventories only increased 13.0%. This resulted in a decrease in merchandise inventories on a per-store basis of 1.3%. This per-store decline in inventory is in addition to a 5.3% decrease in merchandise inventories on a per-store basis at the end of fiscal 2002.

Capital expenditures, net of lease incentives, were $17.3 million in 2003, $17.8 million in 2002 and $9.8 million in 2001. These amounts include $47,000 and $440,000 of capital lease obligations incurred in 2002 and 2001, respectively. No capital lease obligations were incurred in 2003. Of the fiscal 2003 capital expenditures incurred, $11.1 million was for fiscal 2003 new stores, $700,000 was for stores to open in fiscal 2004, $2.8 million was for remodeling and relocation of existing stores and approximately $1 million was for technology. The remaining capital expenditures in 2003 were primarily for various store improvements, loss prevention and distribution center equipment.

Capital expenditures, including assets acquired through leasing arrangements but net of lease incentives, are expected to be $13 million to $14 million in fiscal 2004. The actual amount of cash required for capital expenditures depends in part on the number of new stores opened, the amount of lease incentives, if any, received from landlords and the number of stores remodeled. The opening of new stores will be dependent upon, among other things, the availability of desirable locations, the negotiation of acceptable lease terms and general economic and business conditions affecting consumer spending in areas we target for expansion.

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In fiscal 2004, we intend to open approximately 23 to 28 stores at an expected aggregate cost of between $7.6 million and $9.2 million. The remaining capital expenditures are expected to be incurred for store remodels, visual presentation enhancements and various other store improvements, along with continued investments in technology.

Our current store prototype uses between 8,000 and 15,000 square feet depending upon, among other factors, the location of the store and the population base the store is expected to service. Net capital expenditures for a new store in 2004 are expected to average approximately $330,000. The average inventory investment in a new store is expected to range from $450,000 to $750,000 depending on the size and sales expectation of the store and the timing of the new store opening. Pre-opening expenses, such as advertising, salaries and supplies, are expected to average approximately $87,000 per store in 2004 as compared to $68,000 in 2003. This increase is primarily due to an anticipated increase in advertising expense. On a per-store basis, for the 37 stores opened during 2003, the initial inventory investment averaged $614,000 and capital expenditures averaged $324,000.

We recently completed a forward-looking logistics study evaluating the need for additional distribution center capacity as we grow. The results of the study identified the need to have additional distribution capacity available by the end of 2006. Our current plan is to replace our existing 200,000 square foot distribution center with a new 450,000 square foot facility. Construction is anticipated to begin in the spring of 2005. Preliminary cost estimates for land, building and equipment are approximately $30 million. No expenditures for this project are anticipated to be incurred in 2004.

Our unsecured credit facility provides for up to $70.0 million in cash advances on a revolving basis and commercial letters of credit. Borrowings under the revolving credit line are based on eligible inventory. Borrowings outstanding under the credit facility were $21.9 million at January 31, 2004 and $15.2 million at February 1, 2003. Letters of credit outstanding at January 31, 2004 were $7.8 million. As of January 31, 2004, $40.3 million was available to us for additional borrowings under the credit facility. On April 5, 2004, the credit agreement was amended to extend the maturity date to March 31, 2006.

We anticipate that our existing cash and cash flow from operations, supplemented by borrowings under our revolving credit line, will be sufficient to fund our planned expansion and other operating cash requirements for at least the next 12 months.

Significant contractual obligations as of January 31, 2004 and the periods in which payments are due include:

See Notes 5 and 6 as contained in PART II, ITEM 8 for a discussion of long term debt and leases, respectively. Our other commitments consist primarily of short-term merchandise purchase commitments, in addition to those obligations related to capital expenditures for new stores, our deferred compensation plan and interest on capital lease obligations.

We did not enter into any off-balance sheet arrangements during 2003 or 2002, nor did we have any off-balance sheet arrangements outstanding at January 31, 2004 or February 1, 2003, except for operating leases entered into in the normal course of business.

Our quarterly results of operations have fluctuated, and are expected to continue to fluctuate in the future, primarily as a result of seasonal variances and the timing of sales and costs associated with opening new stores. Non-capital expenditures, such as advertising and payroll, incurred prior to the opening of a new store are charged to expense as incurred. Therefore, our results of operations may be adversely affected in any quarter in which we incur pre-opening expenses related to the opening of new stores.

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We have three distinct peak selling periods: Easter, back-to-school and Christmas.

This Annual Report contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause our actual results, performance, achievements or industry results to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. These factors include, but are not limited to: general economic conditions in the areas of the United States in which our stores are located; changes in the overall retail environment and more specifically in the apparel and footwear retail sectors; the potential impact of national and international security concerns on the retail environment; changes in our relationships with key suppliers; the impact of competition and pricing; changes in weather patterns, consumer buying trends and our ability to identify and respond to emerging fashion trends; risks associated with the seasonality of the retail industry; the availability of desirable store locations at acceptable lease terms and our ability to open new stores in a timely and profitable manner; higher than anticipated costs associated with the closing of underperforming stores; the inability of manufacturers to deliver products in a timely manner; changes in the political and economic environments in the People's Republic of China, a major manufacturer of footwear; and the continued favorable trade relations between the United States and China and other countries which are the major manufacturers of footwear.

We are exposed to market risk in that the interest payable on our credit facility is based on variable interest rates and therefore is affected by changes in market rates. We do not use interest rate derivative instruments to manage exposure to changes in market interest rates. A 1% change in the weighted average interest rate charged under the credit facility would have resulted in interest expense fluctuating by approximately $239,000 in 2003 and $184,000 in 2002.

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We maintain internal accounting control systems designed to provide reasonable assurance that assets are safeguarded, transactions are executed in accordance with management's authorization and the accounting records may be relied upon for the preparation of financial statements and other financial information. This system of internal controls has been designed and is maintained in recognition of the concept that the cost of controls should not exceed the benefit derived therefrom.

The Audit Committee of the Board of Directors meets periodically with management and the independent auditors to review matters relating to our financial reporting, the adequacy of internal control systems and the scope and results of the annual audit. Representatives of the independent auditors have free access to the Audit Committee and the Board of Directors.

Our consolidated financial statements have been audited by Deloitte & Touche LLP, whose report, which follows, expresses an opinion as to the fair presentation of the financial statements and is based on an independent audit performed in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America.

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of
Shoe Carnival, Inc.
Evansville, Indiana

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Shoe Carnival, Inc., and subsidiaries as of January 31, 2004 and February 1, 2003 and the related consolidated statements of income, shareholders' equity, and cash flows for the years ended January 31, 2004, February 1, 2003 and February 2, 2002. Our audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15. These financial statements and financial statement schedule are the responsibility of Shoe Carnival, Inc.'s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We believe our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Shoe Carnival, Inc., and subsidiaries as of January 31, 2004 and February 1, 2003, and the results of their operations and their cash flows for the years ended January 31, 2004, February 1, 2003 and February 2, 2002 in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. Also, in our opinion, such financial statement schedule, when considered in relation to the basic consolidated financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly in all material respects the information set forth therein.

/s/ Deloitte & Touche LLP

Indianapolis, Indiana
April 5, 2004

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