COLLIN COUNTY, Texas — Updated at 5:50 p.m. with additional community reaction to the news.
It's finally happening! Residents in Dallas-Fort Worth, you'll soon be able to shop at H-E-B without having to leave the metroplex.
The Texas-based grocer confirmed Friday that it is bringing two supermarkets to Plano and Frisco. H-E-B will break ground the two new stores this summer. They are scheduled to open in the fall of 2022.
The Frisco store will be located at the northeast corner of Legacy Drive and Main Street. The Plano store will be built at the southwest corner of Preston Road and Spring Creek Parkway, the company said.
"Our two new stores will feature the best of H-E-B with products and services our customers have come to love and expect. We are committed to ensuring these stores are a meaningful addition to the Frisco and Plano communities," said Juan-Carlos Rück, H-E-B Executive Vice President, North West Food/Drug Division.
The Dallas Business Journal reports that the supermarket also has plans to partner with nonprofits organizations and public schools in the area. H-E-B plans to host events and awards, which it does in its other markets.
With roots in the Hill Country of Texas, H-E-B has spread over the past 116 years through Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and down into Mexico, and getting as close to Dallas as towns on the outskirts such as Weatherford, Burleson, Cleburne, and Waxahachie.
The company is one of the largest privately held companies in Texas, with $32 billion in annual sales and more than 420 stores across the state and Mexico, employing more than 137,000, the Dallas Business Journal reports.
Plano Mayor Harry LaRosiliere released a statement after the big announcement Friday morning that partially reads:
"We are so proud H-E-B chose the City of Excellence to launch their ever-popular grocery concept locally. This flagship store will add to the fabric of our community and that makes us Texan and special. Welcome H-E-B!"
Residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area also took to Twitter to share their excitement:
But some, criticized the proximity of the new sites, which are nine miles apart. Others questioned why the company did not expand into underrepresented neighborhoods commonly referred to as food deserts, including Anga Sanders, founder of Feed Oak Cliff.
“Am I surprised? Not at all," Sanders said. "Am I disappointed? Yes.”
The non-profit has tried unsuccessfully for years to bring large supermarkets into the Oak Cliff neighborhood. Food deserts are often found in low-income and rural communities. Often, grocery stores have shuttered and new ones seem reluctant to take their place.
Sanders said whichever company invests in those communities will see a bigger share in an untapped consumer base, being the only game in town.
“They are private corporations and they are profit driven and I understand that," Sanders said. "Have vision. Put away your traditional thinking and look at the possibilities.”
The H-E-B corporate office declined to answer if the company considered such communities for the new stores, or why it chose Frisco and Plano.
The Texas company also has several Central Market stores that serve customers in Dallas, Plano, Southlake, and Fort Worth.
Reporter Eric Alvarez contributed to this report.
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