H-E-B plans tech hub at HQ
Regional grocer H-E-B’s latest Texas-based technology center will be based at its San Antonio headquarters and measure 150,000-sq.-ft.
Following the June 2019 opening of its 81,000-sq.-ft. Eastside Tech Hub in Austin, Texas, H-E-B will begin construction on a five-story building in the Arsenal campus in downtown San Antonio starting by summer 2020. The retailer tentatively expects to complete the facility in summer 2022.
The center will house up to 1,000 employees, including 500 new hires and relocated digital employees from other locations in San Antonio to locate its digital teams closer together. Like its sister facility in Austin, the new workspace will offer a variety of dynamic work areas spread throughout the floor plan, including open collaboration areas, individual work spaces and meeting rooms equipped with advanced technology and video conferencing capabilities.
San Antonio-based Lake Flato Architects will design the project, which will include modern amenities and cutting-edge features while incorporating design elements found throughout the Arsenal campus.
H-E-B Digital, which includes the company’s product, design, technology and e-commerce teams, currently consists of more than 1,000 employees in San Antonio and another several hundred at the Eastside Tech Hub. Companywide, there are more than 5,500 e-commerce employees who are part of the retailer’s curbside and home delivery teams.
For H-E-B, this growth is part of a companywide push to integrate more innovative technology-based services into its digital lineup. Along with the acquisition of on-demand delivery company Favor in February, H-E-B continues to expand its e-commerce offerings such as curbside and home delivery, which are expected to be at over 200 locations by year’s end, and H-E-B Go, a mobile solution that allows people to scan and pay for their items with their phones.
“Our success starts with our people, who provide exceptional hospitality to deliver world-class shopping and digital experiences,” said Craig Boyan, H-E-B president. “We’re committed to hiring more people, adding the necessary skills to become both a better tech company and even stronger brick-and-mortar retailer.”
H-E-B operates 400 stores in Texas and Mexico.