NORWALK, Conn., July 6, 2005 – As Stew Leonard’s prepares to open two new stores – in Orange, Connecticut and East Farmingdale, New York – President and CEO Stew Leonard, Jr. realized he needed someone to help him manage this growth, while maintaining the high quality standards and level of customer service the family owned food stores are renowned for.

"We have grown very successfully to three stores, but now with two new stores on the horizon, I felt it was time to go outside and find someone with multi-store experience to help us grow. I am thrilled to announce that Chris Williams has accepted the position of Chief Operating Officer at Stew Leonard’s," said Stew Leonard, Jr., President and CEO of Stew Leonard’s. "Chris’s main responsibilities will be to help us coordinate and organize the best practices between our three current stores to ensure we remain a first-class organization as we prepare to undergo a major growth spurt," said Stew Leonard, Jr., President and CEO of Stew Leonard’s.

Chris brings to Stew Leonard’s more than 30 years of retail experience in the food industry. Both he and Stew learned the food retail business from their fathers, starting out pushing shopping carts and working their way up through the organization. Chris started working part-time at Pathmark when he was 15, working throughout high school and on college breaks. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in food marketing from St. Joseph University, he returned to Pathmark full-time in 1981, where during the next two decades he spent at the company, held various positions of increasing responsibility, eventually heading up their sales, advertising and marketing.

Chris was recruited to Stop & Shop in 1997. In 2002 he was promoted to Divisional Senior Vice President and General Manager in the New York Metro region. His last position with the company was as Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Connecticut division, the largest division of Stop & Shop, overseeing all store operations, marketing, merchandising, finance and human resources. In addition, Chris was also a member of Ahold’s global leadership team.

"I’m excited to join one of FORTUNE magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For and working with such a talented group of people," said Chris Williams, COO Stew Leonard’s. "I look forward to helping Stew Leonard’s successfully grow the business, while maintaining the high standards and family culture the company has thrived on."

Chris lives in Madison, Conn. with his wife, Patricia and two sons, Robert and Eric.

Stew Leonard’s began as a small dairy store founded in Norwalk, Conn. in 1969 with just seven employees. Today, Stew Leonard’s is still family-owned and operated, but has grown to become a nearly $300 million dollar business with 2,000 employees. 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 East Farmingdale, N.Y and Orange, Connecticut. For more information, visit Stew Leonard’s website at www.stewleonards.com.