Chain in talks to purchase Bell’s grocery store in Lexington

From The Oglethorpe Echo

Oglethorpe County's only grocery store reportedly is in the process of being sold.

“Bell’s and B&T’s Food Fresh Market are in negotiations for B&T’s Food Fresh Market to acquire Bell’s, and the acquisition will take place in the near future,” said Ralph J. Costa Jr., the corporate secretary and director of operations for Bell’s.

Bell’s has stores in four other locations in Georgia: Athens, Watkinsville, Jefferson and Lincolnton. 

The store opened in 1926 in a small building in downtown Athens. Several other locations in Athens followed, according to its website.

A few decades later, Bell’s expanded outside of Athens, and in 1973 a store opened in Crawford on Highway 78. 

That store remained until 2005, when the current location was built across from Oglethorpe County High School. 

B&T’s Food Fresh Market is a small chain based in East Georgia. 

The company was founded by John Triplett and Clark Brunson in the early 2000s, and there are five locations in Georgia and South Carolina. 

Costa said the deal is still in process, and more details will be released after negotiations are finalized.