History Making New H-E-B Starts Rising in The Third Ward

H-E-B just can’t stop growing. Just weeks after the grand opening of its crazy-popular new double-decker store in The Heights, the ever-expanding grocery giant has broken ground on a brand new Third Ward supermarket. MacGregor Market is set to open before the end of the year at Highway 288 and North MacGregor Way.

Plans for the store were first revealed two years ago. It is set to become the first full service grocery store to open in The Third Ward in nearly 30 years — and is being built on city-owned land purchased from Houston Community College in order to help make it happen.

“H-E-B has been committed to providing a larger store to the Third Ward Community for some time. We’re just excited to bring a new store to this important and historic community of Houston,” Winell Herron, H-E-B’s Group VP of Public Affairs, Diversity and Environmental Affairs, tells PaperCity.

 “The 288 and MacGregor parcel gives us the space we need to build a new replacement store for our neighbors with expanded offerings and a state-of-the-art design.”

MacGregor Market will replace The Third Ward’s current H-E-B at Old Spanish Trail and Scott Street. At 90,000 square feet, this new mega-mart will be a whopping three times larger than the previous one. However, unlike the new Heights H-E-B and Bellaire H-E-B, MacGregor Market will only be one story.

But rest assured, it has many of the same features.

“Houston shoppers have come to depend on H-E-B for fresh options, whether it’s produce or seafood,” Herron says.

Expect a robust wine selection, florist shop, curbside pickup, Meal Simple, organic options, a deli, full-service meat and seafood stations, a full-service drive-thru pharmacy, healthy living department and scratch bakery.

“Truly the best that H-E-B has to offer,” Herron says.

The H-E-B has been thoughtfully designed with ample parking space. All in all, the mammoth grocery chain is supposed to create nearly 400 new jobs. Herron said the availability of home delivery is still being determined.

The Grocery Store Wave

H-E-B plans to open seven Houston area grocery stores in 2019. The Buffalo Heights project on Washington Avenue will reportedly get its anchor H-E-B this fall. Another is coming to a Kingwood Place mixed-use development. That’s the second H-E-B in that community. The first was reopened in January of last year after shuttering due to Hurricane Harvey damage.

“We’re excited about our continued expansion in the Greater Houston area. We’re always looking for opportunities to continue to expand our network,” Herron says.

Just as The Heights H-E-B’s grand opening included charitable donations to local nonprofits, the grand opening of MacGregor Market’s grand opening will benefit local nonprofits as well.

“It’s in our DNA to not only provide great stores but also to be an integral part or the community and make a positive difference in the lives of others. We’re really committed to grassroots community efforts,” Herron says.

This isn’t just another new store in Houston’s grocery store wars — this one could change a neighborhood.