8-K

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report: August 4, 2004
(Date of earliest event reported)

Commission File No. 1-6695

JO-ANN STORES, INC.
(Exact name of Registrant as specified in its charter)

Ohio (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation or organization)	34-0720629 (I.R.S. Employer Identification No.)
5555 Darrow Road, Hudson, Ohio (Address of principal executive offices)	44236 (Zip Code)

Registrant’s telephone number, including area code: (330) 656-2600

Item 12. Results of Operations and Financial Condition.

     The information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K, including the exhibit attached hereto, is being furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission and shall not be deemed to be “filed” for the purposes of Section 18 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that Section. Furthermore, the information contained in this Current Report on Form 8-K shall not be deemed to be incorporated by reference into any registration statement or other document filed pursuant to the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

     On August 4, 2004, Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. announced its net sales for the four weeks, thirteen weeks and year-to-date period as of July 31, 2004. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

	JO-ANN STORES, INC. (Registrant)
Date: August 4, 2004	By: /s/ Brian P. Carney
	Name: Brian P. Carney Title: Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

EXHIBIT INDEX

Exhibit Number	Description
99.1	Press Release of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc., dated August 4, 2004.

  EX-99.1 2 l09042aexv99w1.htm EXHIBIT 99.1 PRESS RELEASE

Exhibit 99.1

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:	Brian Carney	Investor Relations:
	Executive Vice President, CFO	Don Tomoff
	Jo-Ann Stores, Inc.	Vice President, Finance
	330/656-2600	Jo-Ann Stores, Inc.
	http://www.joann.com	330/463-6815

JO-ANN STORES ANNOUNCES 3.1%

SAME-STORE SALES INCREASE FOR THE SECOND QUARTER

HUDSON, OH — August 4, 2004 — Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. (NYSE: JAS), the leading national fabric and craft retailer, reported today that July net sales were $114.1 million versus $114.3 million in the same period last year. July same-store sales decreased 0.2% versus a 9.2% same-store sales increase last year.

For the second quarter ended July 31, 2004, net sales increased 3.3% to $371.0 million from $359.2 million in the prior year. Same-store sales for the second quarter increased 3.1% versus a 2.4% same-store sales increase for the second quarter last year.

Year-to-date net sales increased 5.7% to $775.9 million from $734.0 million in the prior year. Same-store sales increased 4.9% year-to-date versus a 2.5% same-store sales increase for the year-to-date period last year.

The Company will announce earnings for its second quarter and provide an update to its earnings outlook for the balance of fiscal 2005 on August 16, 2004. In conjunction with the second quarter earnings release, investors are invited to listen to the earnings conference call to be broadcast live over the Internet at 4:30 PM Eastern time on August 16, 2004. The earnings release will provide instructions on how to access the call.

Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. (http://www.joann.com), the leading national fabric and craft retailer with locations in 47 states, operates 766 Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts traditional stores and 97 Jo-Ann superstores.

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EX-99.1

EXHIBIT 99.1 PRESS RELEASE