110310_StamfordOpeningJobs

From:

FAIRWAY MARKET

Contact:

DKC Public Relations & Integrated Marketing Bruce Bobbins / 212 981 5190 Susan Graziano/ 212 981 5130 Gary Baronofsky/ 212 981 5140 FOR RELEASE: NOVEMBER 3, 2010

THE FINEST, FRESHEST AND MOST FABULOUS FOOD MARKET COMES TO HARBOR POINT IN STAMFORD, CONNECTICUT THE FIRST FAIRWAY MARKET IN THE NUTMEG STATE OPENS NOVEMBER 3, 2010 PROVIDING MORE THAN 500 NEW JOBS

(STAMFORD, CT)) November 3, 2010 - Fairway Market (www.fairwaymarket.com), the legendary New York-based grocery superstore, brings its unparalleled combination of specialty, organic and traditional foodstuffs from around the world to Connecticut today.

The 85,000 square foot store is also bringing 500 new jobs to Fairfield County. The store is located at 699 Canal Street, off Exit 8 on 95, and will be part of the Harbor Point Project, reconnecting Stamford to its waterfront.

Upon first entering Fairway, floor to ceiling displays of fruits and vegetables – the market’s heart and soul – abound. The seafood selections are plentiful, and the bakery has an astonishing array of mouth-watering goods, including kosher items. The butchers provide tremendous options of all fresh cut meat and poultry, as well as a large selection of kosher meats with a full-time kosher butcher in the store. Master coffee roasters roast green coffee beans on the premises. There is a staggering display of fine foods at the deli counter, more than 600 artisanal cheeses, a hand pulled mozzarella station, over 50 kinds of freshly bathed and marinated olives, and an expansive catering business – all to assure shoppers this is no ordinary supermarket.

Aisles are filled with more than 45,000 traditional and 90,000, specialty and organic groceries, as well as a kosher section and an organic and natural health and beauty department. In the dairy shoppers find one of the biggest selections of yogurts, milks and imported butters. In the back of the store, facing one of the parks in Harbor Point, is a glass enclosed 80 seat café where shoppers can select sandwiches, pizza, sushi, salads, soups to enjoy in a relaxing and picturesque setting.

This newest store for the company, and the largest location to date, stays true to its predecessors in Manhattan, Plainview, L.I., Brooklyn, Paramus, and Pelham Manor by offering an extraordinary variety and quality of traditional and specialty groceries at competitive prices.

Fairway is a fusion of the best specialty stores, organic markets and traditional supermarkets with the services of the neighborhood corner butcher, baker, cheese shop, and fishmonger with the freshness and variety of the farmer’s market, all under one roof and serving 14 million customers annually. Next to the food store will be a full service wine, spirits and beer super store with a target opening of early December. (www.fairwaywines.com) -more-

Page 2 – Fairway comes to Stamford In January 2007, Sterling Investment Partners, a Westport, CT private equity firm, acquired Fairway Market, and committed to substantially expanding Fairway in the greater NY metropolitan area. Sterling made a $150 million capital investment in Fairway four years ago, and has thus far committed to in excess of $100 million for Fairway’s expansion, enabling Fairway to grow rapidly and generating 2,100 new jobs in the tri-state area in the last 18 months.

Next year, Fairway will open two new locations, one on the upper Eastside of Manhattan on 86th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues, and one in Douglaston, Queens, generating more than 1,000 additional new jobs in the tri-state region in 2011.

Longtime Greenwich resident Charles W. Santoro, Managing Partner and Co-founder of Sterling and Chairman of Fairway Market, is confident his fellow Connecticut residents will embrace the uniqueness of the store known as being ‘like no other market.’

“We are truly delighted to bring Fairfield County families the finest selection of foods for every appetite and budget,” said Santoro, whose company has made it possible for Fairway’s ongoing expansion. “Our goal is to make Fairway as iconic a supermarket here as it is in New York.”

Fairway was founded 77 years ago by Nathan Glickberg, who opened a fruit and vegetable stand where the flagship Broadway store in Manhattan is still located. Howie Glickberg, Chief Executive Officer of Fairway and grandson of the founder, remains an active leader in Fairway, focusing heavily on strategic expansion and new store openings, while his son Dan is involved in marketing initiatives, including hosting Fairway’s weekly cooking segments on LX TV (on WNBC), and in Fairway’s new wine and spirits stores, including the one that will open in December adjacent to the Stamford market. The 6,500 square foot Fairway Wines & Spirits will carry 200 wines and more than 350 varieties of spirits from around the world, including hard to find artisan and specialty wines.

“We’ve found the perfect location, as Harbor Point will be a popular destination for shopping, relaxation, living and recreation,” said Howie Glickberg, CEO of Fairway. “We’re excited to add a food dimension to this community and the region. And we’re confident shoppers will be impressed by what we have to offer, from the large array of food and groceries to the expertise we bring to all areas of the fresh product. Our people are the best from our butchers and bakers to our cheese-mongers, produce and seafood people.”

Herb Reutsch, President of Fairway, is among those responsible for making each store a marriage of the best management and leadership practices, an exceptional food expertise, and a commitment to corporate responsibility. This dynamic combination has made Fairway one of the highest grossing supermarkets per square foot in the country.

“We’re proud to offer a shopping experience that is unparalleled. This is credit in large measure to each and everyone of the thousands of Fairway staff members who are passionate about the vast array of artisanal and traditional food and groceries we offer and dedicated to the highest quality customer service,” said Reutsch. “We are equally proud that we impact the communities in which we are located. When we say we are ‘like no other market,’ it is also because we are committed to being good neighbors and good citizens.”

Fairway is open from 8 am to 11 pm seven days a week. Please call (203) 388-9815 or go to www.fairwaymarket.com for more information.

### Fairway Market Fairway was founded in the 1930s by Nathan Glickberg as a fruit and vegetable store in Manhattan and is now a growing New York grocery chain with an expertise in specialty foods. It is also one of the nation’s highest grossing food retailers per square foot. Sterling Investment Partners took control of the company four years ago. Today there are seven locations in the tristate area employing more than 3,500 people, as well as 2 Fairway wine & spirit super stores.

Two new Fairway Markets are scheduled to open in 2011, one in Manhattan and one in Queens.

Specialty Food Magazine recently named Fairway one of the country's six Outstanding Specialty Food Retailers for the Specialty Food Trade. In May 2008, the grocer was named Consumer Deal of the Year by M&A Magazine. Fairway was also listed on Inc.'s top 5000 fastest private growing companies for 2008, 2009, and 2010. www.fairwaymarket.com Sterling Investment Partners Sterling Investment Partners is a private equity fund that invests in companies with significant competitive strengths and growth potential. Founded in 1991, Sterling has completed investments, strategic or add-on acquisitions, and liquidity events with an aggregate transaction value of approximately $8.5 billion, representing over 80 transactions. Sterling maintains a broad industry focus, including professional and business services, manufacturing, transportation and logistics, retail and technology-related businesses. www.sterlinglp.com ###