Good news for grocery shoppers and road trippers in deep South Texas. Nearly $4.4 million in upgrades are coming to several H-E-B stores in the Rio Grande Valley and the Coastal Bend, according to recent state business filings.
The bulk of the upgrades will be made to H-E-B fuel stations, though two Corpus Christi stores will see hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of improvements to their interiors.
The biggest project will take place in Weslaco, the largest city in the Mid-Valley, at that city’s oldest H-E-B store located at 1004 N. Texas Blvd., Weslaco, TX 78596, according to Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation records. Texas Boulevard serves as Weslaco’s version of Main Street and the H-E-B — which dates back to the late 1980s — is situated at the nexus of the city’s bustling modern retail corridor along Interstate 2 and its historic downtown.
The Texas-based grocer is investing $1.45 million to overhaul the Weslaco store’s gas station, which involves replacing underground fuel storage tanks, “product piping & fuel dispensers” and building a new fuel canopy and payment kiosk. Construction is slated to begin in early August and should wrap up by the end of October, according to TDLR records. In all, nearly 9,900 square feet will be renovated.
Nearly two dozen miles west, another H-E-B located along I-2 will be getting a fuel station overhaul, as well. The H-E-B located at 820 S. Conway Ave., Mission, TX 78572, will undergo a $950,000 upgrade to its gas station, according to TDLR records. Like the Weslaco store, the Conway Avenue H-E-B’s fuel station will get all new underground storage tanks and associated equipment and a new fuel canopy. Construction is expected to occur on the same timeline as the Weslaco location, as well.
Outside the Valley, the only H-E-B in rural Beeville will be overhauled later this year. H-E-B is investing $1.25 million to replace the underground storage tanks, gas pumps and canopy at the Coastal Bend store located at 100 E. Houston St., Beeville, TX 78102. Crews are slated to begin that project at the end of September and complete it by November 30, TDLR records show.
Two other Coastal Bend H-E-Bs are slated for an additional $709,000 in upgrades — both located in Corpus Christi.
The H-E-B Plus! located at 1145 Waldron Road, Corpus Christi, TX 78418 will get 30 new refrigerated cases and a new product rack, according to TDLR records. Installation of the new equipment should begin in mid-August and be completed by the end of October at a cost of $350,000.
Meanwhile, the H-E-B located at 3133 S. Alameda Ave. Corpus Christi, TX 78404 has been added to H-E-B’s running list of stores to undergo so-called “Fresh Initiative” improvements. Though specific details of the Alameda store’s improvements were not listed in the TDLR filing, the Fresh Initiative program typically involves minor upgrades to H-E-B store interiors. H-E-B officials have previously told MySA such improvements include “adding equipment to support hot-food programs,” and expanding Meal Simple offerings.
