Comparable Store Sales Increase 6.0% on a Reported Basis, and Increase Approximately 5.0% After Adjusting for Calendar Shift PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mothers Work, Inc. (NASDAQ: MWRK), the world's leading maternity apparel retailer, today announced that net sales for the month of October 2008 decreased 2.1% to $45.1 million from $46.1 million reported for the month of October 2007, and announced that its comparable store sales increased 6.0% for the month of October 2008. The decrease in sales versus last year for the month of October 2008 resulted primarily from a decrease in Sears(R) leased department sales, due to the closure of all of the Company's remaining leased departments within Sears stores during the month of June 2008, and from decreased sales from the Company's licensed relationship, partially offset by increased comparable store sales. Comparable store sales for October 2008 increased 6.0% (based on 969 locations) versus a comparable store sales decrease of 3.9% (based on 1,390 locations) for October 2007. Mothers Work reports sales on a calendar month basis, rather than on a "4-5-4 retail fiscal calendar" where each fiscal week and fiscal month starts on a Sunday and ends on a Saturday. Thus, for each calendar month, there is a "days adjustment calendar shift" which may help or hurt reported calendar month sales and comparable store sales due to different days of the week typically contributing more sales than other days of the week. For October 2008, there was one more Thursday and Friday and one less Monday and Tuesday compared to October 2007, which the Company estimates favorably impacted its reported comparable sales for October 2008 by approximately 1 percentage point. The comparable store sales decrease of 3.9% for October 2007 was unfavorably impacted by approximately 1 percentage point due to having four Sundays in October 2007 compared to five Sundays in October 2006. During October 2008, the Company opened two stores, including its 20th Destination Maternity(R) Superstore, and closed four stores, including two store closings related to multi-brand store openings. As of the end of October 2008, the Company operates 752 stores, 281 leased department locations and 1,033 total retail locations (which excludes two retail locations that remained closed as of October 31, 2008 due to Hurricane Ike), compared to 781 stores, 792 leased department locations and 1,573 total retail locations operated at the end of October 2007. The decrease in leased department locations at the end of October 2008 versus the end of October 2007 predominantly reflects the closure of the leased departments within Sears stores as compared to the 499 Sears leased departments operated by the Company at the end of October 2007. Ed Krell, Chief Executive Officer of Mothers Work, noted, "We are very pleased to report an excellent month of sales in October, despite the continued weak overall economic and retail environment. We believe our sales performance for October 2008 reflects the strength of our product lines, but also importantly reflects the benefit of much more favorable Fall-like weather throughout the United States this October compared to last October's very unseasonably warm weather. "Looking forward, we feel very good about our product lines and we are cautiously optimistic about our future sales trend. However, we recognize that we are faced with a very weak overall economic and retail environment and, thus, we continue to manage our inventory and expenditures very tightly. Also, we feel strongly that the strategic restructuring and streamlining of our merchandise brands and store nameplates that we announced on July 1, 2008, will help improve our long-term profitability by simplifying our brand structure, reducing our cost structure, and leveraging both our renowned A Pea in the Pod luxury brand and our growing multi-brand Destination Maternity store brand. We are focused on developing great maternity product under each of our brands and on improving our sales and profitability performance, while maintaining our keen focus on generating cash flow. "We will report results for our fourth quarter and hold an investor conference call on November 18, 2008, at which time we will provide additional information related to our results for the fourth quarter and our future financial guidance." Mothers Work is the world's largest designer and retailer of maternity apparel, using its custom TrendTrack(TM) merchandise analysis and planning system as well as its quick response replenishment process to "give the customer what she wants, when she wants it." As of October 31, 2008, Mothers Work operates 1,033 maternity locations, including 752 stores, predominantly under the tradenames Motherhood Maternity(R), A Pea in the Pod(R), Mimi Maternity(R), and Destination Maternity(R), and sells on the web through its DestinationMaternity.com and brand-specific websites. In addition, Mothers Work distributes its Oh Baby by Motherhood(TM) collection through a licensed arrangement at Kohl's(R) stores throughout the United States and on Kohls.com. The Company cautions that any forward-looking statements (as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) contained in this press release or made from time to time by management of the Company, including those regarding expected net sales, comparable store sales, other results of operations, liquidity and financial condition, expense savings, and various business initiatives, involve risks and uncertainties, and are subject to change based on various important factors. The following factors, among others, in some cases have affected and in the future could affect the Company's financial performance and actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any such forward-looking statements: our ability to successfully manage our various business initiatives, our ability to successfully manage and retain our leased department and licensed relationships and marketing partnerships, future sales trends in our existing store base, unusual weather patterns, changes in consumer preferences and spending patterns, demographics and other macroeconomic factors that may impact the level of spending for maternity apparel, overall economic conditions and other factors affecting consumer confidence, the impact of competition and fluctuations in the price, availability and quality of raw materials and contracted products, availability of suitable store locations, continued availability of capital and financing, ability to hire and develop senior management and sales associates, ability to develop and source merchandise, ability to receive production from foreign sources on a timely basis, potential stock repurchases, potential debt prepayments, changes in market interest rates, war or acts of terrorism and other factors set forth in the Company's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or in materials incorporated therein by reference. DATASOURCE: Mothers Work, Inc. CONTACT: Judd P. Tirnauer, Senior Vice President & Chief Financial Officer of Mothers Work, Inc., +1-215-873-2278 Web Site: http://www.motherswork.com/

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