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 (Date of earliest event reported)     N/A

                              Heilig-Meyers Company
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)


                                    Virginia
                 (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation)


         1-8484                                      54-0558861
(Commission file number)               (IRS Employer Identification No.)


 2235 Staples Mill Road, Richmond, Virginia              23230
- --------------------------------------------------------------
(Address of principal executive offices)              (Zip Code)


Registrant's telephone number, including area code  (804) 359-9171


          (Former name or former address, if changed since last report)







Item 5.  Other Events

         On August 6, 1997, Heilig-Meyers Company issued the press release
attached hereto as Exhibit 99(a), which is expressly incorporated herein by
reference.

Item 7.  Financial Statements and Exhibits

         (c)      Exhibits

                  The following exhibits are filed as a part of this report.

         99(a)             Press Release dated August 6, 1997.









                                    SIGNATURE

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

                                          HEILIG-MEYERS COMPANY


Date: August 13, 1997                     By: /s/ Roy B. Goodman
                                             -------------------
                                                   Roy B. Goodman
                                                   Senior Vice President and
                                                   Chief Financial Officer





                                  Exhibit Index

Exhibit
No.               Description

99(a)             Press Release dated August 6, 1997.

EX-99

                                                            EXHIBIT 99 (a)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 6, 1997

Heilig-Meyers Company (NYSE:HMY), the Richmond-based home furnishings retailer,
today reported sales results for the month of July 1997. Net sales for the month
increased approximately 87.0% to an estimated $166.7 million compared to $89.1
million for July 1996. Sales in stores which were open for the comparable month
in the prior year increased approximately 1.5%.

Net sales for the five-month period ended July 1997 increased approximately
65.3% to an estimated $807.5 million compared to $488.6 million for the same
period last year. Sales in stores which were open for the comparable period in
the prior year increased 2.1%.

Troy A. Peery, Jr., President and Chief Operating Officer, commented that July
sales were soft, primarily in the Company's Heilig-Meyers stores where sales of
seasonal goods were particularly slow. He further added that while sales results
in certain of the Company's other formats, in particular the Berrios stores and
the recently acquired Mattress Discounters stores, were better than planned, it
was likely that earnings for the second quarter, which ends August 31, 1997,
would be under pressure due to the sales short-fall through the first two months
of the quarter.

Heilig-Meyers Company, a Virginia corporation, currently operates a total of
1,166 stores; 848 as Heilig-Meyers, 169 as Mattress Discounters, 99 as Rhodes,
18 as The RoomStore and 32 stores in Puerto Rico as Berrios.