The man who made food shopping fun

When Stew Leonard opened what he dubbed a “dairy store” in Norwalk, Conn., in 1969, it was a wonder of marketing, with a petting zoo, animated Disney-style characters and an on-site bottling plant. There were serious retailing strategies as well – a limited product line, attractive house brands, slick promotions and an abundance of free samples. The concepts pioneered in that supermarket...