Stew Leonard's: Difference between revisions
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=== First store === |
=== First store === |
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In 1969, Stew Leonard Sr. |
In 1969, Stew Leonard Sr. opened the Clover Farms Dairy store in Norwalk.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} |
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=== Expansion === |
=== Expansion === |
Revision as of 18:18, 27 April 2023
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Company type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Grocery store |
Founded | 1969 Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
Headquarters | Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S. |
Key people | Stew Leonard Jr., President & CEO |
Products | Food |
Revenue | $341 million (2011)[1] |
Number of employees | 2,226[1] |
Website | www |
Stew Leonard's is a regional chain of seven supermarkets in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey, which Ripley's Believe It or Not! deemed "The World's Largest Dairy"[citation needed] and Fortune magazine listed as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For".[2]
Opened in 1969 with seven employees[3] in Norwalk, Connecticut, the chain now includes six stores in Connecticut and New York.[4][5] The newest location opened on September 18, 2019 in Paramus, NJ.[6][7]
History
Clover Farms Dairy
Charles Leonard, a hatter in a sweatshop,[8] founded Clover Farms Dairy in Norwalk, CT, in the early 1920s.[3]
First store
In 1969, Stew Leonard Sr. opened the Clover Farms Dairy store in Norwalk.[citation needed]
Expansion
Stew Leonard acquired land for a second store in Danbury, CT, in the mid-1980s. The store opened in 1991.[9]
Stew Leonard's announced plans to open a store in Yonkers, NY, in 1997.[10] The store opened in September 1999.[11]
The Leonard family began working to open a store on Long Island, in 2002.[12] However, plans to open a store across from the Republic Airport in Farmingdale, NY fell through.[13] In 2015, Stew Leonard's announced plans to open a store in Farmingdale in early 2016;[12][13] the store opened in January 2016.[14]
A store in Newington, Connecticut was announced in February 2006 and opened in April 2007.[15][16]
Controversies
Tax fraud
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.[17][18][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.[19][20] Leonard Sr. was caught in June 1991 carrying $80,000 cash en route to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin.[19][21]
Leonard Sr. pled guilty to the charges and, in 1993, was sentenced to 52 months in prison.[22][8] He ultimately served 44 months before being released in June 1997.[23]
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Stores
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Stew_Leonard%27s_in_Danbury.jpg/220px-Stew_Leonard%27s_in_Danbury.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/Stew-Leonards-ParamusPark.jpg/220px-Stew-Leonards-ParamusPark.jpg)
There are currently three stores in Connecticut:
There are currently three stores in New York:
- Yonkers, opened in 1999
- Farmingdale, opened in 2016
- East Meadow, opened in 2017
There is currently one store in New Jersey:
- Paramus, opened in 2019
Features and layout
The New York Times called Stew Leonard's the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores."[24] The stores are not set up like traditional grocery stores; the aisle configurations guide customers to walk through the entire store (although there are short cuts). As customers walk through the aisles, they are greeted by various employees dressed up in costumes and by animatronic characters, called the "Farm Fresh Five", that perform songs and dance. Stew Leonard's famous "Stew Burger", the nickname given to the store's hamburger, is displayed by the entrance of each location.[citation needed] 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.[25]
"Anyone who comes from Connecticut or thereabouts knows this landmark chain of grocery stores where mechanized cows sing and roosters crow," according to a writer for the Sun-Sentinel of Florida.[26]
Corporate philosophy
The store is notable for its customer service policy, which greets shoppers at each store's entrance, etched into a three-ton rock:[27]
1. The customer is always right.
2. If the customer is ever wrong, reread rule #1.
See also
References
- ^ a b "Stew Leonard's Store Fact Sheet" (PDF). stewleonards.com. January 16, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2012.
- ^ "100 Best Companies to work for 2011". Fortune Magazine. Fortune Magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
- ^ a b Stew Leonard; Scotty Reiss (2009). Stew Leonard: My Story. Colle & Co., Publishers. ISBN 9781615393473.
- ^ Stern, Neil. "The Magic Of Stew Leonard's Dairy Comes To Long Island". Forbes. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Zeveloff, Julie. "13 reasons Stew Leonard's is actually the best grocery store in America". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
- ^ Noda, Stephanie (September 17, 2019). "Stew Leonard's offers first look at new supermarket in Paramus Park mall". Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Stew Leonard's Paramus location opens on Wednesday". www.msn.com. Retrieved 2019-09-18.
- ^ a b c Whitford, David (November 1, 2002). "Back From The Brink". CNN. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ Charles, Eleanor (May 20, 1990). "Legend of Stew Leonard's Adding a Danbury Chapter". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Vizard, Mary McAleet (September 1, 1999). "Stew Leonard's and Other Stores Set for Yonkers". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Genn, Adina (February 10, 2015). "Stew Leonard's to Open in Farmingdale". Patch. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ a b Al-Muslim, Aisha (February 10, 2015). "Stew Leonard's grocery store coming to Farmingdale". Newsday. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ Al-Muslim, Aisha (January 7, 2016). "Stew Leonard's set to open in Farmingdale this month". Newsday. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ "Stew Leonard's opens new store in Newington". The Hour. February 5, 2006. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ DiMaio, Nicholas M. (April 12, 2007). "Stew's in Newington: Arriving Fresh in April". The Caldor Rainbow. Retrieved March 29, 2017.
- ^ Steinberg, Jaques (21 October 1993). "Connecticut Store Owner Sentenced in Tax Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Thompson Ainsworth, Richard. "Zappers: Technology-Assisted Tax Fraud, SSUTA, and the Encryption Solutions". The American Barr Association. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Lavoie, Denise. "Prominent Entrepreneur Pleads Guilty to Massive Tax Fraud". Associated Press News. Associated Press News Archive. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Steinberg, Jaques (21 October 1993). "Connecticut Store Owner Sentenced in Tax Fraud". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Gattuso, Greg. "STEW LEONARD SR. LEAVES PRISON". Supermarket News. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
- ^ Miller, Bryan (June 22, 1983). "In Norwalk, A 'Disneyland' Dairy Store". The New York Times. Retrieved January 24, 2016.
- ^ Goldberg, Morgan (11 June 2019). "Every Grocery Store Should Be Like Stew Leonard's". Eater. Retrieved 12 June 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Rock". stewleonards.com. Retrieved August 13, 2018.