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Marble Falls H-E-B will be ‘state-of-the-art’ with expanded, new departments

The Hill Country Community Band performs at the groundbreaking ceremony April 7 for the new H-E-B store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

The Hill Country Community Band performs at the groundbreaking ceremony April 7 for the new H-E-B store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

JENNIFER FIERRO • STAFF WRITER

MARBLE FALLS — When Marble Falls H-E-B store manager David Crail took the stage April 7 at the official groundbreaking of a new store, he said he was relieved to finally be able to reveal his big secret.

“I had a lot of questions about us getting a new store,” he said with a chuckle to the assembly of city and county leaders, H-E-B corporate managers and partners, and honored guests. “I told people, ‘I have no idea.’”

Then, he shared an email he received from Jeff Thomas, H-E-B senior vice president and general manager for Central Texas Region. In a 2006 email to H-E-B president Charles Butt, Thomas wrote that the Marble Falls area was growing, and “We needed a store in Marble Falls,” Crail recalled reading.

H-E-B and city and county leaders break ground at the site of a new H-E-B grocery store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
H-E-B and city and county leaders break ground at the site of a new H-E-B grocery store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

And what a store Marble Falls is getting, H-E-B officials said.

The new H-E-B, which will be completed in spring 2018 near the current one, located at 1503 RR 1431 West, will be 111,000 square feet, an increase in size by 35,000 square feet.

“It’ll be state-of-the-art, the best innovated store H-E-B can build,” said Leslie Sweet, director of public relations for the grocery chain. “We made improvements and tweaks and designed a storefront unique to the Marble Falls area. We don’t have master templates.”

Thomas said shoppers will experience:

• curbside pickup, which allows customers to shop online and drive up to “pick up groceries;”

People line up for food during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new H-E-B store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls on April 7. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
People line up for food during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new H-E-B store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls on April 7. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

• a floral department that also delivers;

• a home decor department;

• a Texas Front Yard department that includes pottery, ceramics, plants, outdoor furniture, grills, and fire pits;

• a produce department offering more selection as well as fresh-squeezed juices and organic products;

• an in-store chef with a staff to provide meal solutions and Simple Meals, which are made and sold for immediate consumption — “All of that is next to the deli,” Thomas said; 

• a beer and wine department with “so much more variety,” he added;

• an expanded grocery department, which will include a Central Market;

The Hill Country Community Band performs at the groundbreaking ceremony April 7 for the new H-E-B store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro
The Hill Country Community Band performs at the groundbreaking ceremony April 7 for the new H-E-B store on RR 1431 West in Marble Falls. Staff photo by Jennifer Fierro

• a seafood department with fresh seafood and fresh sushi;

• a pharmacy with a drive-through;

• and a seasonal department that caters to the area.

Thomas said he told other H-E-B officials, “‘You have to take a look at this store. Let’s tailor it to this lake community.’ They’re making adjustments to it.”

H-E-B also presented $10,000 to celebrate having a store in Marble Falls for 50 years and in a tribute to founder Florence Butt, who moved her family to Kerrville from Tennessee in the early 1900s before the start of World War I. As she was saving money to open a grocery store and support her family, she wanted her three children to know that, while they didn’t have a lot, they always had enough to share, Sweet said.

So Sweet presented The Helping Center with gift cards totaling $5,000 and the Marble Falls Independent School District with $5,000 to fund its summer reading camp focused on helping students who have completed kindergarten.

Sweet said H-E-B officials can’t wait to see the finished store

“We’re excited to build a store from the ground up,” she said. “Parking may not be fun during the construction process, but the end result will be stunning.”

jfierro@thepicayune.com

19 thoughts on “Marble Falls H-E-B will be ‘state-of-the-art’ with expanded, new departments

  1. I hope they bring back BBQ’d chicken wings. They used to have a small deli that had them available all the time, but, they took that section out in a remodel!

  2. Man be happy that yall are getting a new HEB. I’m on the city council here in Kenedy and we fought for a long time to get HEB to come and they finally realized that with the Eagle Ford Shale going on it was time to move up. We were in a 19,000 sq.ft. building since 1975 and in 2014 we got a new one with the biggest convenience store in the industry with over 20 pumps and a 9,500 sq. ft. Store. So we went from 19,000 to 44, 000 square feet store. We should have got a bigger one but for this area I guess they thought was big enough for us. Everyone gets bigger things than Kenedy. Just be glad and thankful. I’m sure we would like to have a store yalls size that yall have already. So be greatful. HEB is great. P.S I also work there part time outside my full time job. I’m a 12 year partner.

  3. I think the new store is gonna be awesome and even better than the HEB plus stores around the Austin area. They said there won’t be another one like this one it’s the state of the art one of its kind.. This town is growing by leaps and bounds daily hopefully they just open all the registers during peak hours of shopping time cuz there’s nothing worse than waiting in line for a long time especially when you have little ones with you.

  4. Heb plus is around 185,000 square feet. Think they would carry alot more then the 110,000 square feet store coming. It’s only gonna be 35,000 square feet of the current store. An heb plus would compete with walmart which is what this area needs. Instead they are just building a store a little bit bigger then the one we have now. So in my opinion it’s a waste.

    1. And just what are you hoping to buy that the new store or current one won’t carry? Hmm let me guess you want Maine lobster flown in fresh daily or Russian caviar served on Tibetan rice crackers.

        1. And where exactly do you propose they build the additional 75,000 without closing and leveling the old building? Your hearts in the right place but you haven’t thought the entire thing through.

          1. Across from the granite mountain showroom store. Always heard rumors that they were going to do something there.

  5. James, An apple is an apple, regardless of what it is called. This new store will be plenty!! Let’s enjoy the healthy fruits of many folks’ labors! We are blessed to have such a generous and compatible grocery business in our town. HEB was a former client of mine. I have seen how they run their business and how they treat their people. Those management styles, from a family business, are what keeps their folks doing such a great job for each of us. Perfect? NO. (This ain’t heaven. . . . . is it? — NO! Utopia is down near Leaky!) They are doggone great!!

  6. It’s okay James, it is HEB’s newest version, “PLUS” means ‘state of the art’ with expanded, new departments. I have grown up in this town since HEB was at the Security Bank location, which I worked at growing up through my high school years and I have friends that also started their working lives with this great company, then seen it positioned itself where it stands today, at the old Lakeland mall location, which at the time, I thought it was not a thought through idea, given that the building needed lots of upgrades. But with that given, I will take this newly built ‘state of the art’ with expanded, new departments version being built up from the ground up with 35,000 plus sq ft expanded from it’s current size any day. Finally, I am happy to see that a brand new HEB is being built and it is becoming reality!! HEB people are great and it is a great company to start out in life. Thank you HEB for being a part of my upbringing and a part of our community.

  7. Sounds nice but would love to see shade trees planted in the parking lot.

  8. I am very excited about the new store and more organics . Will there be shade trees and areas for impervious cover and native plants ? hope so ,
    Lynette

  9. AWESOME! Great news for Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay! Can’t wait for curbside pickup service!

  10. Ok brand new store and its not going to be a heb plus. That’s just dumb.

      1. A Cooking Connection for one thing– no bakery mentioned. I see nothing really that a Plus store does not have. It should have a Cooking Connection though.

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