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Stew Leonard's
Company typePrivate
IndustryGrocery store
Founded1969; 55 years ago (1969)
Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
HeadquartersNorwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Number of locations
8 (2024)
Key people
Stew Leonard Jr., President & CEO
ProductsFood
Revenue$341 million (2011)[1]
Number of employees
2,226[1] (2011)
Websitewww.stewleonards.com

Stew Leonard's is an American regional chain of eight supermarkets in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, which Ripley's Believe It or Not! deemed "The World's Largest Dairy"[2] and Fortune magazine listed as one of the "100 Best Companies to work for" in 2011.[3]

Opened in 1969 with seven employees[4] in Norwalk, Connecticut, the chain includes six stores in Connecticut and New York.[5][6] The seventh location opened in Paramus, New Jersey in 2019 and the eighth on May 17, 2024 in Clifton, New Jersey.

The store has a customer service policy which greets shoppers at each store's entrance, etched into a three-ton rock:[7]

History

[edit]
The Stew Leonard's location in Danbury, Connecticut

Charles Leonard, a hatter in a sweatshop,[8] founded Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, Connecticut, in the early 1920s.[4]

Stew Leonard acquired land for a second store in Danbury, Connecticut, in the mid-1980s. The store opened in 1991.[9]

In 1993, Stew Leonard Sr. was convicted of having committed tax fraud via an elaborate scheme to divert more than $17.1 million in cash register receipts over a 10-year period.[10][11][8] The fraud, which involved a computer program designed to skim off sales, was directed by Stew Leonard Sr. in concert with the company's CFO and store manager. Skimmed cash was placed in bundles in Leonard Sr.'s office fireplace, to be later moved offshore or disguised as gifts.[12][13] Leonard Sr. was caught in June 1991 while he was carrying $80,000 cash to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.[12][14]

Stew Leonard's announced plans to open a store in Yonkers, New York, in 1997.[15] The store opened in September 1999.[16]

In 2002, the Leonard family began working to open a store on Long Island.[17] However, plans to open a store across from the Republic Airport in Farmingdale fell through.[18] In 2015, Stew Leonard's announced plans to open a store in Farmingdale in early 2016;[17][18] the store opened in January 2016.[19]

A store in Newington, Connecticut was announced in February 2006 and opened in April 2007.[20][21]

The original Stew Leonard's store earned a position in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the highest dollar of sales per square foot of selling space[22][when?] and for a 3,500-pound sculpture made of sharp cheddar cheese.[23]

Stew Leonard Sr., the founder of the Stew Leonard's chain, died on April 26, 2023, at the age of 93.[24]

On January 11, 2024, New York City resident Órla Baxendale died from anaphylactic shock shortly after eating a mislabeled cookie product sold under Stew Leonard's brand name.[25] The label did not show that peanuts were a key ingredient in the recipe. Stew Leonard's claimed that the manufacturer, Cookies United in Islip, New York, changed the recipe without notifying retailers. Cookies United came forward with multiple emails proving that they did inform retailers about the change, and they pointed out that Stew Leonard's packages the cookies themselves.[26]

The New York Times called Stew Leonard's the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores."[27] The stores are not set up like traditional grocery stores. The aisles guide customers to walk through the entire store (although there are short cuts). As customers walk through the aisles, they are greeted by employees dressed up in costumes and by animatronic characters, called the "Farm Fresh Five", that perform songs and dance. Perhaps their most famous animatronic is Clover, the head of a Jersey cow known for her bloodcurdling moos. Stew Leonard's famous "Stew Burger", the nickname given to the store's hamburger, is often displayed by the entrance of each location. The stores also feature petting zoos and outdoor cafes in the warmer months, and offer tasting booths and a variety of prepared meals year round.[28][29]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Stew Leonard's Store Fact Sheet" (PDF). stewleonards.com. January 16, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
  2. ^ Roberts, Sam (April 27, 2023). "Stew Leonard Sr. Dies at 93; Founded 'Disneyland of Dairy Stores'". The New York Times. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  3. ^ "100 Best Companies to work for 2011". Fortune Magazine. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Stew Leonard; Scotty Reiss (2009). Stew Leonard: My Story. Colle & Co., Publishers. ISBN 9781615393473.
  5. ^ Stern, Neil. "The Magic Of Stew Leonard's Dairy Comes To Long Island". Forbes. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  6. ^ Zeveloff, Julie. "13 reasons Stew Leonard's is actually the best grocery store in America". Business Insider. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  7. ^ "The Rock". stewleonards.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Whitford, David (November 1, 2002). "Back From The Brink". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  9. ^ Charles, Eleanor (May 20, 1990). "Legend of Stew Leonard's Adding a Danbury Chapter". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Steinberg, Jaques (21 October 1993). "Connecticut Store Owner Sentenced in Tax Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  11. ^ Fritz, Sara. "A Sour End to Dairy Scam : Retailing Genius Stew Leonard May Face Jail for Hiding $17.1 Million From the IRS in a Tax Fraud Case". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  12. ^ a b Steinberg, Jacques (22 October 1993). "Papers Show Greed, Calculation and Betrayal in Stew Leonard Fraud Case". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  13. ^ Thompson Ainsworth, Richard. "Zappers: Technology-Assisted Tax Fraud, SSUTA, and the Encryption Solutions". The American Barr Association. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  14. ^ Lavoie, Denise. "Prominent Entrepreneur Pleads Guilty to Massive Tax Fraud". Associated Press News. Associated Press News Archive. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  15. ^ Foderaro, Lisa W. (November 25, 1997). "Stew Leonard's Plans Big Store in Yonkers, Singing Cows Included". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  16. ^ Vizard, Mary McAleet (September 1, 1999). "Stew Leonard's and Other Stores Set for Yonkers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  17. ^ a b Genn, Adina (February 10, 2015). "Stew Leonard's to Open in Farmingdale". Patch. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  18. ^ a b Al-Muslim, Aisha (February 10, 2015). "Stew Leonard's grocery store coming to Farmingdale". Newsday. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  19. ^ Al-Muslim, Aisha (January 7, 2016). "Stew Leonard's set to open in Farmingdale this month". Newsday. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  20. ^ "Stew Leonard's opens new store in Newington". The Hour. February 5, 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  21. ^ DiMaio, Nicholas M. (April 12, 2007). "Stew's in Newington: Arriving Fresh in April". The Caldor Rainbow. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
  22. ^ "Stew Leonard Sr., founder of famous grocery store chain, dies at 93". ABC7 New York. April 27, 2023. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  23. ^ "Stew Leonard's rolls out world-record cheese | December 10, 2018 | Supermarket Perimeter". supermarketperimeter.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  24. ^ "Stew Leonard Jr. pens emotional obituary for dad who founded well-known grocery chain". FoxNews. 27 April 2023. Retrieved April 27, 2023.
  25. ^ Deliso, Meredith (January 25, 2024). "Woman, 25, dies from allergic reaction after eating mislabeled cookies with peanuts from Stew Leonard's". ABC News. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  26. ^ Pollina, Richard (January 25, 2024). "Professional dancer, 25, dead after eating mislabeled cookies from Stew Leonard's grocery store". New York Post. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Miller, Bryan (June 22, 1983). "In Norwalk, A 'Disneyland' Dairy Store". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
  28. ^ Goldberg, Morgan (June 11, 2019). "Every Grocery Store Should Be Like Stew Leonard's". Eater. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  29. ^ Hartz-Seeley, Deborah (December 17, 2007). "A trip north takes me to Stew Leonard's that reminds me of Penn Dutch". Retrieved December 20, 2007.
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