SAN ANTONIO, TX
H-E-B is pulling out all the stops this year as the grocery chain divulges its plans to
greatly expand and remodel in its hometown. By the end of the year, H-E-B anticipates debuting
22 new stores and major renovations throughout the Texas market, according to San Antonio Express-News.
Many of these updates include modern enhancements such as restaurants, pharmacy lanes, and full-service bakeries, for example.
“H-E-B is a
very aggressive and dynamic retailer,” said spokeswoman Dya Campos. “We are continuously changing, innovating, and creating new store designs and concepts.”
The retailer is opening a new
91,000 square foot San Antonio store on Friday – the first H-E-B opening in the area in two years. The store features expanded produce, deli, and meat markets, as well as fresh sushi, flame-grilled chicken, and handmade sandwich stations that the company developed in-house, the San Antonio Express-News reports. Take a look at this timeline to see what the retailer has in store for 2014…
With other retailers like Wal-Mart, Trader Joe’s, and Aldi moving in to the Texas market, H-E-B is going to have to find some way to gain an edge over the competition. The company has registered more than
1,000 trademarks with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office such as “My H-E-B” or “H-E-Buddy.”
“There is a tendency for all stores – all retailers, not just supermarkets – to imitate each other quickly. So you have to keep raising the bar to look special,” said Betsy Gelb, a professor of marketing and entrepreneurship at the Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston. “Trademarking is just one of those moves, if you will. You’re playing chess all the time, and you’re trying to
stay ahead of the competition.”
How will these updated stores perform against the likes of Wal-Mart, Trader Joe’s, or Aldi? We’ll just have to wait and see as the competition heats up…
H-E-B
