Carl Bennett, Caldor store chain founder, philanthropist, dies at 101
Carl Bennett, who translated a keen eye for business and consumer trends into a mostly New England retail empire as the founder of the Caldor store chain, died Dec. 23 at his home in Greenwich at the age of 101.
Bennett, a resident of Greenwich and Stamford, was a philanthropist whose family donated millions to Stamford Hospital and educational causes devoted to the study of Judaism.
The son of a grocer, Bennett began the first Caldor shop in a 1,200-square-foot space on the second floor of a co mmercial building in Port Chester, N.Y., selling toys, luggage and housewares at a discounted price. The Caldor name was an amalgamation of his first name and the name of his wife, Dorothy.
Bennett later said his business model — the chain offered brand-name merchandise for prices lower than traditional department stores — was to create “discount stores offering quality products and good services.”
The Caldor chain, which closed in 1999, also offered an agreeable shopping experience. The chain’s early motto was “Where Shopping Is Always a Pleasure.”
Bennett had an aptitude for customer preferences and business practices that, he said, he developed from his father, who ran a grocery store on Steamboat Road in Greenwich.
Bennett was born Jan. 27, 1920, the son of Mayer Bennett, a co-founder of Temple Sholom in Greenwich, and Rebecca (Lipsky) Bennett. He lived above the family store as a young man, graduating from Greenwich High School. He attended New York University and served in the 466th Quartermaster Battalion of the U.S. Army in World War II.
He married the former Dorothy Becker on June 24, 1951, and the two formed a partnership that launched the retail operation that grew into 100 stores around the Northeast.
According to his daughter, Robin Bennett-Kanarek, her father “wasn’t sure what he wanted to do with his life” after working for a time as a butcher and a liquor salesman, but he had a solid grounding in business he obtained from his father.
“He had total admiration for his father, a grocer, and that’s how he developed his love of retailing,” she said.
According to BennettKanarek, her parents were returning wedding presents at E.J. Korvette store, one of the leading discount outlets of the period, when Bennett had a revelation.
“He saw the concept of discounting, and he just fell in love with it,” said Bennett-Kanarek, a Greenwich resident who worked as a nurse at Stamford Hospital and holds a seat on the board of Greenwich Hospital.
After opening in Port Chester in 1951, with some $8,000 of the couple’s own savings, Bennett expanded the Caldor chain into Stamford, Greenwich, Norwalk and Brookfield. Caldor grew at a rapid rate in the early 1960s in Westchester County, N.Y., and southern Connecticut, finding a strong market of budget-conscious consumers.
When the Hamden store opened in December 1962, some 3,000 customers were on hand to see singer and entertainer Mitch Miller, who signed autographs for the crowd. Police estimated that some 10,000 shoppers passed through the doors that day, many attracted by the vast vinyl record shop inside.
“He had no formal education, this was all on-the-job training. He did not complete college, he was a selfmade success story. He worked very hard, but he always had time for his family,” said his daughter.
Caldor was headquartered on Glover Avenue in Norwalk. Eventually the chain had 30 stores in Connecticut alone.
Bennett maintained a low-key style even as he reached the pinnacle of the retail field.
“He had a heart of gold, very compassionate. And when you spoke to him, you had his undivided attention, he really honed in. That’s a real art,” she said. “Success never went to his head, and he always remembered his roots. He always told us that success — a lot of it (was) luck and timing and hard work. ‘Enjoy it while you can,’ that was a big quote of his.”
In 1981, Caldor was operating 70 stores. The chain saw sales multiply six-fold between 1971 and 1980, and was called “the Bloomingdale’s of discounting” by an industry observer in 1981 and the “Cadillac of discounters” by another retail executive.
In 1981, the chain founded by Carl and Dorothy in a small walk-up was purchased for $313 million by Associated Dry Goods, which owned Lord & Taylor and other retailers. Bennett retired as chairman and chief executive of Caldor in 1984, when the chain earned $1 billion in sales and had some 100 stores in operation in seven states.
Bennett and his wife moved to Greenwich from Stamford in 1984.
By the mid-1980s, the company began to see stiffer competition from Target and Walmart, and Associated had over-leveraged its debt structure, according to industry analysts. The company was liquidated in 1999, shuttering some 145 stores around the country. Many of the Caldor outlets were later converted into the Kohl’s retail chain.
Over the years, Bennett and his family have been major donors to health-care institutions around the region and educational organizations. The Bennett family has given more than $20 million to the Stamford Hospital system; the main campus was named the Bennett Medical Center in 2018.
The family has also given substantial sums to Fairfield University for the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies; Greenwich Hospital; Jewish Senior Services (formerly known as the Jewish Home for the Elderly) in Fairfield and Bridgeport; The Weitzmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel; and Yeshiva University in New York.
Robin Bennett-Kanarek said of her father, “Toward the end, he loved singing and Jewish music, and had a strong sense of Jewish identity. He was very proud of it.”
Bennett was remembered for his philanthropy and generosity this week.
“It is with deep sadness that we mark the passing of Carl Bennett, one of Stamford Health’s greatest benefactors,” said Kathleen Silard, president and CEO of Stamford Health. “For nearly 60 years, Carl was a steadfast supporter of Stamford Health and we will miss his commitment to our mission and his passion for creating a health system that benefits the entire community. As a board member and a philanthropist, Carl made an indelible mark on our organization and the communities we serve.”
At Fairfield University, the administration sent a statement mourning his death: “Carl and his wife Dorothy’s spirit of generosity, inquiry and community truly helped transform Fairfield University, and serve as an inspiration for us all. The Bennett Center for Judaic Studies has helped in the academic formation of many university students, and serves as a beacon in the local community. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this time.”
Dorothy Bennett died in 2008. Besides his daughter, he is survived by two sons, Marc Bennett, of Stamford, and Bruce Bennett, of Rochester, N.Y.; and five grandchildren.
Memorial arrangements, which are being handled by the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home, are private.