H-E-B continues Central Texas takeover with new stores, expansion

The Austin Business Journal is reporting that since opening its three new H-E-B stores in the Austin area in 2023, the stores have accounted for about 20% of new retail inventory in the metro this year, according to Steve Triolet, senior vice president and market forecasting operations at Partners. The new H-E-B’s in Southwest Austin, Georgetown, and Lake Austin have a total footprint of almost 370,000 square-feet, Triolet told ABJ.

H-E-B is the largest employer in the region with 50 stores in the Austin area, though Tesla Inc. is expected to surpass those numbers in the coming year, according to ABJ reporting.

But the San Antonio-based business could change things with a new list of openings in the region. ABJ says H-E-B is expected to open a new 145,000-square-foot store in the heart of downtown Austin on South Congress and a third H-E-B for Pflugerville residents on the northeast side of the Austin metro. 

Unlike the other two parts of town with more H-E-B’s to choose from, Manor residents, who’ve also reported food deserts in the past, are hoping to finally get an H-E-B store on the far east side of the city. ABJ reports the company has been eyeing Manor, which is a suburb of Austin and close to Tesla’s Gigafactory, after residents continue to call out the company for not having a store there. 

Early plans for Manor Crossing, a new shopping center also near Del Valle, reveal that there will be a “future H-E-B” coming to the retail center. Just this month, when New York-based Abbott’s Frozen Custard announced it will open a store at Manor Crossing, the company’s retail broker said the shop will have a new H-E-B in Manor, according to ABJ. 

H-E-B is also planning two separate $28 million expansions of stores in Kyle and Bastrop, according to TDLR filings in late November and early December. Construction is expected to begin in Kyle at store number 14, located at 5401 S FM 1626, Kyle, TX 78640, in April 2024 with a completion date set for November 2025. H-E-B’s Bastrop expansion for store number 582 at 104 Hasler Blvd., Bastrop, TX 78602, will begin in June 2024 with an expected completion date by January 2026. It will feature a True Texas BBQ restaurant inside the store.

MySA reached out to H-E-B for comment on the new developments.