H-E-B opens Southwest Austin store

H-E-B has officially opened its new Oak Hill store in Austin, Texas.

At 90,000 sq. ft., the new store on U.S. Highway 290, which replaces the former store in the same neighborhood, features an expansive product assortment and several convenient services customers have come to expect from the retailer. 

This new location offers fresh food options, services that allow for a customizable shopping experience, the inclusion of H-E-B Curbside, a fulfillment service the retailer is rolling out across Texas that allows customers to place orders online and pickup at the store. 

[Read more: H-E-B continues Texas expansion]

Highlights from the store include:

• H-E-B Curbside service allows customers to create a shopping list online and pick up their order at the store;
• Twenty-four check stands featuring self-checkout registers for quick customer service;
• A large selection of craft and import beers and wines from around the world;
• Pharmacy with two-lane drive-thru service;
• A meat market offering over 300 ft. of natural, quality meats and poultry;
• A fish market with a wide variety of fresh and sustainably caught seafood, including wild-caught and farm-raised seafood;
• A large selection of Dinner Tonight food offerings, including sushi, Cooking Connection, and Meal Simple for quick and simple meal planning;
• A produce section with expanded organic and Texas-grown selections, and a large assortment of fresh-cut, ready-to-serve fruits and vegetables;
• An expansive deli serving a variety of meats and cheeses, rotisserie chicken, in-house roasted meats, charcuterie, and a Mediterranean olive bar;
• A bakery department featuring handmade artisan bread, cakes and a Tortillería for fresh tortillas made in-house;
• Blooms floral department with certified floral designers;
• Texas Backyard showcasing outdoor-living furniture, grills and plants; and 
• An outdoor space with a shaded playscape and picnic tables for families to enjoy.

To commemorate the store opening, the retailer is donating $5,000 to the Seton Foundation; $5,000 to TreeFolks; $2,000 each to Abiding Love Lutheran Church, Oak Hill First Baptist Church, Misión Cristiana Internacional/LIDS and Travis County Community Center at Oak Hill; and $1,000 each to Mills Elementary, Gorzycki Middle School, Oak Hill Elementary, Patton Elementary and Small Middle School.

Emphasizing conservation efforts, the store’s design incorporates the look and feel of the surrounding neighborhoods and involves several environmental sustainability elements, such as rainwater harvesting and water retention ponds, as well as adherence to impervious cover regulations and compliance with all aquifer regulations, according to the retailer. Provisions will be put in place for future solar panel installation, as H-E-B maintains large solar installations across 23 of its Austin-area stores.

As part of the grand opening celebration, H-E-B leaders dedicated the store’s opening to Ophie Garcia, H-E-B’s longest-tenured store partner. Joining H-E-B in 1965, Garcia worked in a store in Harlingen. In 1988, she moved to the cosmetics department at the former Oak Hill store. After 56 years of service, she recently retired.