Dive Brief:

• H-E-B announced Tuesday it is opening two Joe V’s Smart Shop by H-E-B stores in Dallas, marking the first time the grocer’s discount format will appear outside of the Houston area. 
• The first location, at 4101 W. Wheatland Rd., is expected to open in late summer 2024, while the other, sited at 5204 S. Buckner Blvd., is slated to open in spring 2025. 
• The announcement comes at a time when H-E-B is bolstering its presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and a discounters are reaping the benefits of price-conscious shoppers seeking lower grocery prices. 

Dive Insight:

H-E-B first launched Joe V’s Smart Shop in 2010 and currently has nine open locations for what it calls its “innovative price format.”  

The grocer opened its ninth Joe V’s at the end of 2018, noting in an announcement at the time that the “phenomenal success of the first Joe V’s Smart Shops ... has helped pave the way for the newest store.”

H-E-B said it will share additional details for each store at their respective groundbreaking ceremonies, which have yet to be announced. 

The format offers “community focused products” and fresh items at low prices. Shoppers can find H-E-B Bakery tortillas made in-store, H-E-B Sushiya sushi made in-house daily, Meal Simple chef-inspired meals, fresh cut fruit, organic items, in-store baked breads and pastries and fresh in-store cut meat.

In announcing the two upcoming stores, H-E-B stressed that the Joe V’s chain is focused on offering “the lowest prices in the marketplace with the highest quality fresh products.” The grocer says that operational efficiencies and new technologies help to keep prices down. 

Joe V’s stores are usually 55,000 square feet and employ about 150 workers. In total, Joe V’s currently employs more than 1,500 people in the Houston area.

“With the introduction of Joe V’s Smart Shop to Dallas, we are excited to build on our longstanding presence in the area and commitment to serve more customers in this dynamic and growing part of Texas,” H-E-B Chief Operating Officer Roxanne Orsak said in a statement. “As a multi-format retailer, we have developed a variety of brands and formats to best serve our customers across the state.”

In addition to its multiple store banners, H-E-B has been building larger, more experiential stores designed to draw shoppers from a wide area. On Wednesday, the company announced the opening of a store in Georgetown, Texas, that, at 121,000 square feet, is twice the size of the location it replaced. The store features a two-story True Texas BBQ restaurant and a full-service bar.

In recent years, H-E-B has been building up its Dallas-Fort Worth presence — an area where it has long operated Central Market stores and introduced its name-brand H-E-B stores in September. The grocer opened stores in Plano and Frisco late last year and has locations under construction in McKinney, Allen, Alliance, and Mansfield. Its Favor Delivery service operates in 29 cities across the metro area.

H-E-B said in the announcement that it is “committed to the DFW area for the long term and hopes to serve even more of the Metroplex in the future.”