H-E-B Plus to open Friday in Leander

City welcomes first major retailer, which boasts 144,000

square feet.

By By M.B. Taboada
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Thursday, February 22, 2007

LEANDER — After years of waiting, Leander's residents are finally getting a major grocery store. And it's a doozy.

Mahi mahi caught off the shores of Hawaii can be delivered in the same day. About 2,000 types of wine will be available, as well as 300 cheeses. And about 900 types of produce, including the exotic Jamaican tangelo, will be on the shelves.

With 144,000 square feet, the new H-E-B Plus store, which opens at 6 a.m. Friday, will instantly become a civic center for this burgeoning town of about 24,000. It will have more than 400 workers and become the city's second-largest private employer, behind J.C. Evans Construction. The store will add $383,000 each year to the city's sales and property tax base, officials say.

In many ways, the H-E-B will be a one-stop shopping area for those who visit it at 651 U.S. 183 North. It will have furniture, home improvement products and a garden center. It will also have 10,000 DVDs and a photo department able to transfer VHS videos onto DVDs.

               

"We don't want to do everything, but we do want to do what our customers are asking for," said Leslie Lockett, a company spokeswoman.

City leaders and media representatives will get an early peek at the store today, with breakfast and a tour. Gift bags stuffed with pasta, chips and coffee thermoses will be handed out to the guests.

Residents on the move can use H-E-B's party kiosk for complete party planning. Instead of running through the store and waiting in a check-out line, a customer can call in a theme, and a party coordinator will gather all the matching paper goods and favors, which then can be picked up and paid for at the kiosk. H-E-B will even address and mail the invitations.

The store has 24 check-out lanes.

"Bigger is better at this point in Leander's evolution," said Kirk Clennan, economic development director. "The bigger resources and bigger opportunity for our citizens to live, work and play in is a welcome addition to our community."