H-E-B breaks ground for newest North Texas store, with no word on Tarrant County expansion
H-E-B broke ground Thursday for an 118,000-square-foot store in McKinney, slated to open late next year in its quick expansion into parts of North Texas.
H-E-B said in a news release Thursday the store will have an exterior design unique in the grocery chain, meant to match the aesthetic of the area around it. The store will have a curbside zone at the back of the store, a fuel station with car wash, a pharmacy drive-thru and H-E-B’s barbecue brand, True Texas BBQ.
It’s the third store to begin construction in the Dallas area, but the grocery chain hasn’t made any solid commitments to begin expansion into Tarrant County. While the company owns land in the county and currently operates Central Market stores, it has remained coy about when the flagship brand will make it to local communities.
The groundbreaking comes weeks after Mansfield’s city council invited H-E-B to a special meeting where they courted executives in hopes of getting a store in their city, offering to do anything they could to make it happen.
H-E-B bought land in Mansfield in 2016, and in 2017 the city announced on its Facebook page the company was proceeding with plans to begin construction, but nothing has come of it yet.
“Don’t panic. H-E-B still loves Mansfield,” the post, updated in September 2017, said. “Contrary to rumors that were circulating recently, the San Antonio-based grocer, loved by many, is still moving forward with a new store in Mansfield at the southeast corner of East Broad and U.S. 287.”
A post in 2018 once again reassured residents H-E-B was still coming to the city.
“HEB Update: Yes, they are still coming to Mansfield,” the post on April 9, 2018, read. “The City Council tonight approved on first reading revisions to the San Antonio-based grocery store’s site plan for its Mansfield location. No timetable was given for the opening of the store, but officials told council members there is active interest in the pad sites on the development.”
But when the grocery chain broke ground for stores in Plano and Frisco in June 2021, the company remained coy about whether it would be moving into Tarrant County anytime soon.
Juan-Carlos Ruck, vice president of food and drugs for the northwest division of the company, told the Star-Telegram at the Plano groundbreaking the company doesn’t rush into decisions on expansion.
“We’re starting here [in Plano and Frisco], but obviously we’re committed to the Metroplex,” Ruck said. “Our interest is to serve all of the Metroplex over time with all of our formats.”
This story was originally published March 3, 2022 at 4:59 PM.