NORWALK, Conn., Jan. 22, 2008 – Family-owned and operated Stew Leonard's, a destination shopping mecca for farm fresh foods sold in a fun atmosphere, has been recognized by FORTUNE magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For" for the seventh consecutive year. Stew Leonard's was named No. 26 on the list. The rankings, available now at http://www.fortune.com, will appear in the February 4 issue, available on newsstands January 28.

"Stew Leonard's is known for being a fun place to shop and for our above and beyond customer service. Since opening Stew Leonard's in 1969, my dad has always believed that in order to be a great place to shop, first make it a great place to work. Having happy team members means our customers will have a great experience when they come to our stores," said Jill Leonard Tavello, Executive Vice President of Culture and Communication. "Another tangible benefit to being on the list is to attract and retain top talent. When we opened our new store in Newington, Conn. this year, we received more than 3,000 applications for the 350 available positions, largely based on our reputation as a great place to work."

"Participating in the application process challenges us to continually improve our culture and keep raising the bar," said Stew Leonard, Jr. President and CEO of Stew Leonard's. "Before opening the Newington location, we scrutinized every operation, policy and philosophy, seeking to improve upon every item that we could. This included surveying our team for their input and gathering their ideas and suggestions."

The opening of the Newington location also gave current team members an opportunity to "move up the ladder" at the company and take on leadership roles. Eighty team members were promoted from other Stew Leonard's stores to become managers, assistant managers and team leaders in the Newington store, which also gave team members at the existing locations promotional opportunities.

Stews Team Goes Green

Energy conservation and recycling is not only a corporate responsibility at Stew Leonard's, but environmental responsibility is also an important concern among Stew's team members. Working with business resources in the community, as well as forming internal "green teams," Stew Leonard's initiated a variety of energy saving and environmentally responsible programs last year, including:
• Adding 38 skylights to the Newington store to bring in natural light and reduce energy requirements.
• Installing a new roofing system in Newington and Norwalk with a reflective material that helps reduce summer cooling costs.
• Converting the stores' signature road signs to LED (light-emitting diode), which reduced electrical costs by 75 percent as well as decreased electrical consumption during peak periods.
• Using on-site equipment such as pulpers to reduce food waste as well as transporting biodegradable food waste to composting facilities.
• Actively recycling metal, pallets, cardboard, shrink wrap plastic and plastic grocery bags.
• Offering reusable bags at all store locations for customers to purchase in place of using paper or plastic bags.
As a result of Stew Leonard's investment in energy-reducing projects, more than five million Kilowatt hours will be saved annually, which is equivalent to providing energy to 600 homes for the entire year.

A Healthy Focus
Stew Leonard's covers 93 percent of the cost of medical insurance benefits for full-time hourly Team Members, including dependents. In 2007, Stew Leonard's introduced a comprehensive wellness initiative offering free health and wellness programs to help team members focus on preventative care. These programs include free health screenings, smoking cessation and weight management classes and discount gym memberships.

Stew Leonard's has also taken this healthy focus into the community. In response to the increasing incidence of childhood obesity, Stew Leonard's registered dietitian worked with team members in each of the store locations to implement healthy eating tours for schoolchildren. Additionally, along with CEO Stew Leonard, Jr., they wrote, "The Healthy Way," a nutrition storybook for children ages four through seven about how to incorporate healthy eating and activity in a fun, engaging way. All proceeds from the book’s sale go towards funding nutrition education programs for children and for the donation of the books to schools. Over the past year, more than 20,000 books have been donated, and Stew Leonard's has also partnered with local hospitals and health departments on special programs to get books into the hands of children in lower socio-economic school districts.

About Stew Leonard's
Stew Leonard's, a family-owned and operated fresh food store founded in 1969, has four stores in Norwalk, Danbury, and Newington, Conn. and Yonkers, N.Y. Stew's earned its nickname, the "Disneyland of dairy stores" because of its country-fair atmosphere, with costumed characters and animated entertainment throughout the store that keep children entertained while parents shop. Stew Leonard's legion of loyal shoppers is largely due to the stores' passionate approach to customer service: "Rule #1 -- The Customer is Always Right"; Rule #2 – If the Customer is Ever Wrong, Re-Read Rule #1." This principle is so essential to the foundation of the company that it is etched in a three-ton granite rock at each stores entrance. For more information, visit Stew Leonard’s website at www.stewleonards.com.