Stew Leonard's
Encyclopedia
Stew Leonard's is chain of four supermarket
s in Connecticut
and New York
which Ripley's Believe It or Not!
deemed "The World's Largest Dairy", with Fortune Magazine listing Stew Leonard's as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For".
"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. A typical Stew Leonard's store will attract customers from a wider geographic area than a typical supermarket because customers are willing to drive longer distances. The store's fame comes from its innovative in-store marketing, which includes a barnlike wood decor, a winding path for shoppers instead of straight, parallel aisles, and animatronic singing animals perched above the shelving.
Founded in 1969 with seven employees in Norwalk, Connecticut
, there currently are also stores in Danbury, Connecticut
; Yonkers, New York
; and Newington, Connecticut
. The latter opened on May 5, 2007. There are also plans to open stores in Orange, Connecticut
, and in Farmingdale, New York
. The Farmingdale store technically exists, but its current zoning permit has only allowed the wine
shop portion to be open and the opening of the rest is pending in court. The store in Norwalk, Connecticut was the first Stew Leonard's store. The previous owner was an elderly woman who had a farm on the property and was selling the land, but under one condition. The buyer must buy the farm and the animals and take care of them. All the buyers were not willing to buy the farm and the animals except Stew. He thought that he could make the farm an attraction at his store. So he purchased the land, farm, and animals and built his store on the land. The store was originally just a dairy store because his previous occupation was being a milkman with his father. The store became more popular because of the farm and the animals because he turned them into a petting zoo for children which still exists today.
In 2004, Tom Leonard, son of the founder, also opened a spinoff store, Tom Leonard's Farmer's Market, in the Short Pump
section of Henrico County, Virginia
(suburban Richmond).
The store is also known for its customer-service policy, which greets shoppers at each store's entrance etched into a three-ton rock:
called Stew Leonard's the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores." The store has taken tips from educational practices, were they implement visual, auditory, and kinesthetic strategies into their sales. Stew Leonard’s have created animatronics characters called the farm fresh five. These animatronics are life like, which perform songs and dance that entertain the customers from all ages. This has made the shopping experience more engaging and exciting for families. It provides an area for kids to have fun while the parents shop. This new concept of selling has taken away the stress from long lines at the grocery store. The stores are not set up like traditional grocery stores; one must walk through the entire store (though there are short cuts). As customers walk through a path of aisles, they are greeted by different employees dressed up in costumes and by animatronic favorites such as Twinkie
the Kid, the Chiquita
banana, and Clover, a cow's head that moos when one pulls its rope. The stores also feature petting zoo
s and outdoor cafes in the warmer months and sell a variety of prepared meals year round. Customers are also offered an unusually large number of food samples for a supermarket, as well as free drink samples.
The store has a clone in South Florida called Penn Dutch with locations in Hollywood and Margate. The owners of Penn Dutch visited Stew Leonard's to get merchandising ideas.
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
s in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
which Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
deemed "The World's Largest Dairy", with Fortune Magazine listing Stew Leonard's as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For".
"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. A typical Stew Leonard's store will attract customers from a wider geographic area than a typical supermarket because customers are willing to drive longer distances. The store's fame comes from its innovative in-store marketing, which includes a barnlike wood decor, a winding path for shoppers instead of straight, parallel aisles, and animatronic singing animals perched above the shelving.
Founded in 1969 with seven employees in Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, there currently are also stores in Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury, Connecticut
Danbury is a city in northern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It had population at the 2010 census of 80,893. Danbury is the fourth largest city in Fairfield County and is the seventh largest city in Connecticut....
; Yonkers, New York
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers is the fourth most populous city in the state of New York , and the most populous city in Westchester County, with a population of 195,976...
; and Newington, Connecticut
Newington, Connecticut
Newington is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2000 census, it had a total population of 29,306. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has its headquarters in Newington....
. The latter opened on May 5, 2007. There are also plans to open stores in Orange, Connecticut
Orange, Connecticut
Orange is a town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 13,233 at the 2000 census. A 2007 Census Bureau estimate puts the population at 13,813. The town is governed by a Board of Selectmen.-History:...
, and in Farmingdale, New York
Farmingdale, New York
The Village of Farmingdale is an incorporated village on Long Island within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States...
. The Farmingdale store technically exists, but its current zoning permit has only allowed the wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
shop portion to be open and the opening of the rest is pending in court. The store in Norwalk, Connecticut was the first Stew Leonard's store. The previous owner was an elderly woman who had a farm on the property and was selling the land, but under one condition. The buyer must buy the farm and the animals and take care of them. All the buyers were not willing to buy the farm and the animals except Stew. He thought that he could make the farm an attraction at his store. So he purchased the land, farm, and animals and built his store on the land. The store was originally just a dairy store because his previous occupation was being a milkman with his father. The store became more popular because of the farm and the animals because he turned them into a petting zoo for children which still exists today.
In 2004, Tom Leonard, son of the founder, also opened a spinoff store, Tom Leonard's Farmer's Market, in the Short Pump
Short Pump, Virginia
Short Pump is a census-designated place in Henrico County, Virginia, United States. The population was 182 at the 2000 census.The village of Short Pump, located at the intersection of Three Chopt Road, Richmond Turnpike and Pouncey Tract Road, was named for the short handled pump beneath the...
section of Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico County, Virginia
Henrico is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, a state of the United States. As of 2010, Henrico was home to 306,935 people. It is located in the Richmond-Petersburg region and is a portion of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(suburban Richmond).
The store is also known for its customer-service policy, which greets shoppers at each store's entrance etched into a three-ton rock:
- The customer is always right.
- If the customer is ever wrong, re-read rule #1.
The store
The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
called Stew Leonard's the "Disneyland of Dairy Stores." The store has taken tips from educational practices, were they implement visual, auditory, and kinesthetic strategies into their sales. Stew Leonard’s have created animatronics characters called the farm fresh five. These animatronics are life like, which perform songs and dance that entertain the customers from all ages. This has made the shopping experience more engaging and exciting for families. It provides an area for kids to have fun while the parents shop. This new concept of selling has taken away the stress from long lines at the grocery store. The stores are not set up like traditional grocery stores; one must walk through the entire store (though there are short cuts). As customers walk through a path of aisles, they are greeted by different employees dressed up in costumes and by animatronic favorites such as Twinkie
Twinkie
The Twinkie is an American snack cake made and distributed by Hostess Brands. They are marketed as a "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling".-History:...
the Kid, the Chiquita
Chiquita
Chiquita can refer to:*Chiquita Brands International, a large produce company*Rio Chiquita, a river in Táchira, Venezuela*Chiquita , a song by Sam H. Stept*Chiquita , a book about the life of Cuban dwarf dancer and singer Espiridiona Cenda...
banana, and Clover, a cow's head that moos when one pulls its rope. The stores also feature petting zoo
Petting zoo
A petting zoo features a combination of domestic animals and some wild species that are docile enough to touch and feed. In addition to independent petting zoos, also called children's farms or petting farms, many general zoos contain a petting zoo...
s and outdoor cafes in the warmer months and sell a variety of prepared meals year round. Customers are also offered an unusually large number of food samples for a supermarket, as well as free drink samples.
The business
Stew Leonard's is not only the world's largest dairy store; it is also in the Guinness Book of World Records for having "the greatest sales per unit area of any single food store in the United States." It has been listed as one of Fortune Magazine's top 100 businesses to work for ten years in a row. It currently has annual sales of around $300 million and has about 2,000 employees. Stew Leonard's also claims "Hello, from over 3,000 cows in Ellington, CT!" (their own farm) on its milk cartons.The store has a clone in South Florida called Penn Dutch with locations in Hollywood and Margate. The owners of Penn Dutch visited Stew Leonard's to get merchandising ideas.