Employees remain as Bell’s continues transition

Tammy Watkins, the manager at the Bell’s in Lexington, is hopeful about the connections the owners of B&T’s Food Fresh Market have made since buying the Athens-based chain last month.
“That was their No. 1 thing,” Watkins said. “They wanted to make sure that we were understanding that we were going to be good and safe, and our jobs would be established.”
Employee retention was an integral part of the deal, Ralph J. Costa Jr., corporate secretary and director of operations for Bell’s, told The Oglethorpe Echo after the sale on Oct. 13.
B&T’s Food Fresh Market has retained 100% of Bell’s employees during the initial transition.
“When this opportunity came, it wasn’t just buying a convenience store - it was buying a legacy,” said John Triplett, co-owner of B&T’s. “Given the opportunity to buy five stores that large, that have been around that long, it’s really appealing.”
By Julianna Russ
For The Oglethorpe Echo