STEW LEONARD'S FEATURED ON The Apprentice: Martha Stewart

October 19 Episode Puts Candidates' Customer Service and Selling Skills to the Test

NORWALK, CONN.– Stew Leonard's three-ton customer service rock that stands at the front of each store's entrance states, "Rule #1 -- The Customer is Always Right"; Rule #2 – If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1." On the fifth episode of NBC's The Apprentice: Martha Stewart, airing on Wednesday, October 19th, the candidates discover how seriously the company stands by these rules.

The task surrounds the teams' ability to sell a new food product they developed for Wish-Bone® dressings -- from product formulation, to packaging, to marketing and merchandising it. The team who sells the most of the product wins. Two of Stew Leonard's stores (Norwalk, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y.) were selected for the task, and the team could select any location in the store for maximum customer traffic to build their product display and demo the product. The winning product will be available for purchase at Stew Leonard's beginning on Thursday, October 20 while supplies last.

"We are thrilled to be part of this show, and Stew Leonard's was a perfect location for this task, because of our unique retailing concept – offering farm fresh foods in a fun atmosphere combined with outstanding customer service that attracts more than 100,000 customers a week to each store," said Stew Leonard, Jr., President and CEO of Stew Leonard's. "In fact, Martha was a frequent customer at our Norwalk store when she had her catering business, and still shops in our stores today, so she can personally attest to the quality of our foods and friendliness of our team members."

Tune in to NBC on Wednesday, October 19 at 9:00 P.M. ET to find out what happens when one of the candidates learns the meaning of "the customer is always right!"

About Stew Leonard's
From its humble beginnings as a small dairy store founded in 1969, Stew Leonard's has grown to become not only the World's Largest Dairy Store, but one of the most renowned grocery stores, with annual sales of nearly $300 million. More than 300,000 shoppers visit Stew Leonard's each week for the farm fresh foods combined in a country fair atmosphere, complete with costumed characters, entertainment and free samples throughout the store.

The company has received worldwide acclaim for excellence in customer service and quality and was named among FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the last four consecutive years. In addition to the original store in Norwalk, Conn., Stew Leonard's has stores in Danbury, Conn. and Yonkers, NY., with additional stores planned in Orange, Conn. and East Farmingdale, N.Y. For more information, visit www.stewleonards.com.