Bella’s Market groceries stores in Limon and Stratton have been sold after months of financial trouble that left people shopping nearly empty shelves.
Tony Ford, the owner of a grocery store in Flagler, and his son, Trey, took over the two other locations Wednesday. The two will carry the name of the Flagler store, Stop and Shop.
The two stores will stay open as they’re restocked, Trey Ford said. Deliveries will start Friday and continue next week.
“There is some product in the store, but not near enough,” Trey Ford said. “It doesn’t happen overnight, unfortunately.”
The Limon and Stratton stores were two of the nine Bella’s Market supermarkets Sam Mancini owned in rural Colorado and Kansas.
Residents who lived near the stores complained that they had been run into the ground, with empty shelves that forced them to travel as far as 60 miles to buy groceries. Mancini closed stores in Akron, Walden and Wiggins in mid-July.
“I have publicly stated that I have been disappointed with the recent level of service we have been forced to provide. However, due to ongoing litigation, I can’t make further comment than that,” Mancini said in a statement.
Mancini on Thursday told the North Forty News that he intends to restock the Wellington store within 30 days.
Tony Ford said his deal with Mancini included a nondisclosure agreement preventing him from revealing the price he paid.
Ford said he bought the Flagler Stop and Shop from his parents nearly 40 years ago. The store opened in 1951.
Ford said this is the first time he has owned more than one grocery store, but the opportunity was too good to pass up.
“These towns need a grocery store,” he said.
Thad Moore: tsmoore@denverpost.com, 303-954-1902 or twitter.com/thadmoore
