H-E-B targets South Austin for major expansion

H-E-B is expanding its presence in one of the fastest-growing markets in Texas.

The grocer is making a $200 million investment in south Austin that includes three new stores and a major renovation of an existing location, reported Statesman. H-E-B’s existing store, on South Congress Avenue, will be demolished in March to be replaced with a 130,000-sq.-ft. multilevel store with underground parking. The location is the company’s oldest store in Austin, having opened in 1957.

“It will be a showplace for the company that will have all the newest edges and advances,” Jeff Thomas, VP and general manager, Central Texas Region, H-E-B, said in the report. “When it’s done, people from all over the country—and the world—will want to come see this store.”

Plans also include a new 130,000-sq.-ft. store, at Slaughter Lane and Interstate 35, and a new 90,000-sq.-ft. store at U.S. Highway 290 and FM 1826, according to the report. Both of which are slated to open next year.

“This level of investment has been years in the making,” said Thomas. “With the growth the city is experiencing and the opportunities for us to be part of that growth, we made the decision to invest aggressively.”

H-E-B currently has about two dozen stores and 14,000 employees in the Austin area, according to the company.  Earlier this year, H-E-B opened an 81,000-sq-ft., high-tech office space in Austin, Texas, that reflects the regional grocer’s digital push and includes lots of amenities.