The New Haven Register reports that as a result of its recent poll findings that a majority of local residents would like to see a Stew Leonard's store opened on the site of a long-defunct movie theater complex in Milford, Connecticut, Stew Leonard, Jr. stopped by the site to take a look.
"“The site looked very nice and would make a solid location for a Stew’s,” Leonard wrote in an email to the Register. “When I was in our Newington store, I met a few customers from Milford. They all agree, they would love to have a Stew’s in Milford."
However, Leonard said that as a family company, Stew Leonard's is not on a fast-growth path, and right now is more focused on Long Island than on further development in Connecticut.
"Don’t read too much into this visit," he wrote the Register. "It’s curiosity more than anything."
Stew Leonard's was stymied in a 10-year effort to open a store in nearby Orange, Connecticut, by local residents who did not want a high-traffic retail site there.
"“The site looked very nice and would make a solid location for a Stew’s,” Leonard wrote in an email to the Register. “When I was in our Newington store, I met a few customers from Milford. They all agree, they would love to have a Stew’s in Milford."
However, Leonard said that as a family company, Stew Leonard's is not on a fast-growth path, and right now is more focused on Long Island than on further development in Connecticut.
"Don’t read too much into this visit," he wrote the Register. "It’s curiosity more than anything."
Stew Leonard's was stymied in a 10-year effort to open a store in nearby Orange, Connecticut, by local residents who did not want a high-traffic retail site there.
- KC's View:
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Unlike Fairway, a company that used to be similar to Stew Leonard's until they took private equity money and started expanding, Stew Leonard's has always been careful about expanding, understanding that to take outside investment dollars would be to give away control. And that's something that they don't want to do. IMHO, that's a wise choice for the family and the company, because it keeps the focus on the customer.
Still, it's nice to be wanted...
