Stew Leonard Jr. to Join Winsight Facebook Live

Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of the wildly popular Norwalk, Conn.-based Stew Leonard’s grocery stores, will join WGB and Supermarket Guru Phil Lempert on Winsight’s Facebook Live on June 25 at 12:30 EDT to talk surging grocery pricing, the future of the industry, “cowside” pickup, keeping food shopping fun through a pandemic and much more.

Stew Leonard Jr.

Through an emphasis on customer service, employee care and fresh foods, Leonard, who took over the helm of the “World’s Largest Dairy Store” from his father and founder Stew Leonard in 1991, has grown the renowned grocery business to nearly $500 million in annual sales, more than 3,000 team members and seven stores in Connecticut, New York and New Jersey.

Dubbed “The Disneyland of Dairy Stores” by The New York Times for its singing vegetables, costumed characters and animatronics designed to entertain kids while parents shop in peace, Stew Leonard’s has succeeded in creating a dynamic, destination shopping experience. 

Stew Leonard’s business model is as unique as its in-store experience. Each store carries only 3,200 items with a focus on fresh—80% of its products sold are fresh, brought in daily or prepared in-store. Its stores, which include family-run wine stores in the tri-state area, serve 20 million shoppers a year.

Under Leonard, the grocery store chain has been recognized by Fortune Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for 10 consecutive years, with more than 80% of all managers promoted from within. To deliver its trademark customer service and emphasis on fresh prepared products, Stew Leonard’s employs twice the number of employees of a traditional grocery store.