<ARTICLE>                     5
<LEGEND>
This  schedule   contains   summary   financial   information   extracted   from
Heilig-Meyers  Company's Consolidated  Statements of Operations and Consolidated
Balance Sheets and is qualified in its entirety by reference to such financial
statements.
</LEGEND>
<MULTIPLIER>                  1,000

                                                                                
<PERIOD-TYPE>                                    9-MOS               6-MOS               3-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END>                                FEB-28-1999         FEB-28-1999         FEB-28-1999
<PERIOD-END>                                     NOV-30-1998         AUG-31-1998         MAY-31-1998
<CASH>                                                 18804               35166               28056
<SECURITIES>                                          208670<F1>          174592<F1>          193078<F1>
<RECEIVABLES>                                         324399              415745              462176
<ALLOWANCES>                                           57021               61003               73121
<INVENTORY>                                           532264              539648              543763
<CURRENT-ASSETS>                                     1177853             1272620             1286903
<PP&E>                                                585788              571656              564854
<DEPRECIATION>                                        199965              182480              176144
<TOTAL-ASSETS>                                       1982933             2070056             2090121
<CURRENT-LIABILITIES>                                 695592              794839              817768
<BONDS>                                               583303              583926              584709
<PREFERRED-MANDATORY>                                      0                   0                   0
<PREFERRED>                                                0                   0                   0
<COMMON>                                              119530              118154              117625
<OTHER-SE>                                            514674              503078              497613
<TOTAL-LIABILITY-AND-EQUITY>                         1982933             2070056             2090121
<SALES>                                              1844849             1190155              593795
<TOTAL-REVENUES>                                     2072155             1343946              668939
<CGS>                                                1234260              799263              393432
<TOTAL-COSTS>                                        1234260              799263              393432
<OTHER-EXPENSES>                                           0                   0                   0
<LOSS-PROVISION>                                       76338               45693               23199
<INTEREST-EXPENSE>                                     57247               38126               19140
<INCOME-PRETAX>                                        39529               29633               15872
<INCOME-TAX>                                           14303               10861                5678
<INCOME-CONTINUING>                                    25226               18952               10194
<DISCONTINUED>                                             0                   0                   0
<EXTRAORDINARY>                                            0                   0                   0
<CHANGES>                                                  0                   0                   0
<NET-INCOME>                                           25226               18952               10194
<EPS-BASIC>                                           0.43<F2>            0.32<F2>            0.17<F2>
<EPS-DILUTED>                                           0.42                0.32                0.17

<FN>
<F1>  Represents retained interest in securitized receivables
<F2>  Represents basic earnings per share
</FN>