BellStores Partners With Local Specialty Market to Elevate Its Sandwich Offering
MASSILLON, Ohio — Campbell Oil Co.'s BellStores convenience store chain is getting into the specialty foodservice business with a new partnership. Over the past year, the brand has partnered with DeVitis Fine Italian Foods to offer a selection of sandwiches, sides and desserts at the majority of its locations.
Based in Akron, DeVitis is one of the longest-running specialty markets in the region, reported the Canton Repository.
"They've been awesome to work with ... and our customers are really enjoying the addition," E.J. Hanolt, spokesman for Campbell Oil, told the news outlet.
DeVitis started out as a fruit and vegetable market back in the 1950s. Its full lineup in the present day includes everything from deli items to hot lunch products to frozen entrees, as well as specialty items and selections of wine, fruit and vegetables.
"It's been far more successful than we expected," said Anthony DeVitis, co-owner, of the businesses' new partnership. He, his sister Laura and his nephew Nick DeVitis represent the company's fourth generation of family leadership.
BellStores and DeVitis began working together in late 2021, prompted by Campbell Oil Co.'s search for ways to improve its DeVitis offerings based on rising demand for quality products. The retailer reached out to DeVitis, after which the companies launched a small trial partnership at a dozen BellStores locations.
The partnership expanded to additional BellStores convenience stores over time, eventually reaching the current number of 58 out of 75 locations. More are expected to be added in the future. The DeVitis-partnered stores are located in 11 Ohio counties: Stark, Summit, Wayne, Medina, Carroll, Ashland, Holmes, Guernsey, Tuscarawas, Belmont and Harrison.
Top sellers include Angelo's Hoagie, a DeVitis signature item that is labeled an Italian sub at BellStores and sells for $5.69. It features ham, salami, hot ham and provolone cheese, with bread sourced from northeastern Ohio bakeries Orlando and Ideal.
Through the partnership, DeVitis also makes other sandwiches by request, such as ham, turkey, egg salad and Troyer's Trail Bologna. The sides it supplies include pasta and macaroni salad, with tiramisu, cherry cheesecake and chocolate cake available for dessert.
Anthony DeVitis noted that while the DeVitis store sells approximately 3,500 sandwiches a week, BellStores sells significantly more. The company has previously sold wholesale quantities of food for special customers and events, such as golf courses, but nothing on the scale of the partnership with BellStores.
Each week on Mondays and Thursdays, the DeVitis crew sets to work on producing the BellStores order starting at 4 a.m. Afterwards, they hit the road to deliver the freshly made products the participation BellStores locations.
"It's been very good for our business," DeVitis told the news outlet.
BellStores and its parent company have long looked for ways to enhance the brand's foodservice and dispensed beverage offerings. In 2018, Convenience Store News named awarded it with the Best Fountain Presentation in the Store Design Contest. The following year, BellStores took the top spot for highest-rated gas station coffee in GasBuddy's Q2 2019 C-store Report Card.
BellStores, a division of Campbell Oil Co., is based in Massillon, Ohio.