On the Western city limits of Charlottesville, Va., is the c-store deli of your dreams. As the flagship store of Tiger Fuel Co., Bellair Market has attracted widespread attention for its delicious sandwiches and local product offering. It draws business from blue-collar workers, classy clientele from local neighborhoods and the students who put this college town on the map.
Gordon Sutton, the supervising manager of Bellair Market, works in the retail arm of a diverse family business. Tiger Fuel does home propane and short truck distribution and operates a large network of 140 dealer sites, distributing BP, CITGO and Exxon branded gas as well as its private label, EXCEL. The retail component of the business owns and operates seven stores and owns another five consignment locations. Bellair Market is the face of it all.
In 1991, Tiger Fuel took over the lease of what was an old auto-mechanic service station and did a complete remodel.
“The management at the time decided to go for America’s first gourmet gas station,” Sutton says.
The company installed a full kitchen and extended the front of the store, but it left the original garage bays. Today, the 2,300-square-foot space has hardwood floors and granite countertops.
“It’s a very attractive store with classic charm,” Sutton says, “but it is small. The sheer volume of sales we pump through that space is insane.”
It’s a small interior on a tight lot, but Bellair still manages to bring in a solid profit from c-store inside sales, and its deli sales were almost double that of the c-store last year.
“We’re on a busy road on the West side of Charlottesville,” Sutton says. “We catch everybody coming in and out of town.”
A big component of its success is that Bellair Market is also closer to the University of Virginia campus than Tiger Fuel’s other stores. It draws catering business from the university and benefits from sparse competition and an affluent clientele in that area of town.
Fine Fare
Bellair is known far and wide for its gourmet sandwiches, recently lauded in Bon Appetit magazine. The menu, largely created by general manager Pat Pitts, is equal parts creative and classic. Favorites include the Jefferson, which people describe as the “Thanksgiving sandwich” because it’s loaded with turkey and cranberry sauce; and the Birdwood, which layers cracked-pepper turkey, bacon and banana peppers. Customers often comment on the quality of the fresh bread and the tastiness of Bellair’s herbed mayo. Bellair’s Yelp site is full of passionate reviews from people all over the map.
“People fall in love with our sandwiches while they’re at school and then go off and live in exotic places,” Sutton says. “But they always come back.”
The gourmet case at Bellair displays prepared foods such as salmon, crab cakes, seared tuna and flank steak, as well as its highly popular rotisserie chickens. And a new open grab-and-go case allows busy customers to buy prepared sandwiches and skip the deli line.
In addition to deli deliciousness, Bellair Market sells local specialties that attract customers. The owners have capitalized on the substantial craft-beer scene in the area, offering local brews such as Devils Backbone, Bold Rock Hard Cider and Blue Mountain. They also sell Bone Doctors, a locally made barbecue sauce, and feature it on one of the deli sandwiches.
“We sell a lot of the normal things that c-stores do,” Sutton says. “We do roller-grill hot dogs, snacks and cigarettes, but we pride ourselves on supporting the local community when we can.”
Also on Bellair’s shelves are locally made Gearhart’s Chocolates and Blue Ridge Kettle Korn, as well as Lumi Juice, a popular pressed-vegetable drink that sells for $8 a pop.
Loyalty First
Besides its food service and product offerings, Bellair Market’s culture of loyalty sets it apart.
“We feel like we’re selling an experience more than that can of Budweiser or that gallon of gas,” Sutton says.
Sutton takes pride in the company’s employees and puts great emphasis on hiring. “A lot of c-stores just hire the first person who comes up and can fog a mirror, but we screen people carefully,” he says. “It’s a happy, friendly place, and we want to keep it that way.”
Sutton uses PeopleMatter to assess potential hires online, and when he finds great people, he makes it worth their while to stay by offering good pay, benefits and paid time off.
The store’s culture of loyalty extends to customers as well. The mangers have done well with Facebook, generating enthusiasm about the store by offering promotions and running a popular contest for creating a “Sandwich of the Month.” The store also runs several loyalty programs, which allow customers to earn discounts at the pump. If you spend $25 in the store, you get 5 cents off per gallon. Order five sandwiches and you get 15 cents off per gallon. Buy five fountain drinks and get 10 cents off per gallon.
“We have people with crazy rewards built up on their cards,” Sutton says. “It’s not uncommon to see a customer with 50 cents off per gallon at the time they redeem it.”
The store uses an Exxon-supported program through a company called Centego to track the rewards.
“Be generous and keep it simple,” Sutton says.
Word to the Wise
Sutton’s other advice to independent c-store owners is to do more than just compete on price. “A lot of people just want to hang their hat on trying to be the cheapest,” he says. “It’s certainly important to be competitive, but it’s a flawed strategy. We all end up in a race to the bottom where there’s just no margin left.”
He suggests finding other ways to keep people coming back. “Take pride in what you’re doing,” he says. “That’s where things get fun.”
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