HEB leveled up in 2024. Here’s how:

In Texas, HEB ranks among the top grocery and supermarket food chains in the state (and maybe even in the country, according to national rankings). The San Antonio-based grocer has become a favorite for many in Texas, especially after delighting the masses with its new tap-to-pay option.

We’re looking back at some of the company’s biggest moments in 2024, like when it finally introduced Apple Pay and when Central Market broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest charcuterie board. Below are the biggest moments.

Central Market, a gourmet grocer owned by HEB, broke the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest charcuterie board on September 11th in Austin. The historic first Central Market endeavor was part of the Texas-sized store’s 30th anniversary celebration.

Central Market’s partners strategically arranged artisanal meats, cheeses, crackers, fruit, nuts and more onto a 12-by-24-foot meat board weighing 1,032.024 pounds. The previous record, held by Florida pork producer Bordery Co., weighed 769 pounds and measured 20 by 14 feet.

HEB has rolled out tap to pay, one of the most requested services by its customers. Apple Pay, Samsung Pay, and Google Pay users finally had access to this convenient payment method at HEB stores in San Antonio in early October.

HEB started using the service at its Central Market and Joe V’s Smart Shop stores across the state earlier this year.

HEB was named America’s best grocery retailer in January, ahead of Amazon and Costco, according to a study by UK-based global consumer research firm Dunnhumby. This is the second year in a row that HEB has taken the top spot.

According to the study, HEB is #1 in the RPI (Retailer Preference Index) ranking, meaning the grocery store chain has the strongest long-term customer value proposition. Since Dunhumby launched RPI in 2018, HEB has topped other grocery stores three times, more than any other retailer (ahead of Amazon and Trader Joe’s, which ranked #1). times).

Bloomberg included HEB Chairman Charles Butt and his family in its latest Billionaires Index in March. The Butt family ranked 159th with a net worth of $13.3 billion.

Most of the Butt family’s wealth comes from their $43 billion grocery empire. According to Bloomberg, the Butt family’s net worth increased by $2.69 billion from the previous year.

HEB’s low-cost format stores started their roots in Houston, but now they’ve finally made their way to North Texas. The first Joe V’s Smart Shop opened in Dallas in June. The new 55,000 square foot store is located at 4101 W Wheatland Road, Dallas, TX 75237.

The store carries all the groceries and products HEB shoppers love, except for different brands, including fresh produce, in-house cut meats, tortillas, breads and sushi.

In July, a HEB bakery made headlines by making a Hurricane Beryl cake ahead of the hurricane’s landfall in Texas. Chris Ramirez, who works at a refinery in Galveston, found this cake at his local HEB. He posted the photo on Facebook, where it was liked by more than 5,000 people and garnered 500 comments.

Kay Marie Scott commented, “Perfect for a hurricane party,” and user Niecy Berger added, “Love it! Hurricanes are just a part of nature. We tried to make the most of it. Maybe it’s better. Life goes on. I just lost.” Beryl will cause part of the roof to collapse, and if you can get the cupcakes, it might be a good temporary distraction. ”

HEB continued its North Texas expansion after acquiring real estate in Irving in August. HEB said the new store strengthens the company’s commitment to North Texas, which currently has 12 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area.

The property will be the first for Irving, a city northwest of Dallas, according to HEB. The store will be built in the Las Colinas community, in front of the former Fry’s electronics store at Interstate 635 and Olympus Boulevard.

HEB is planning a multimillion-dollar expansion of Ulcer in Edinburg next year, according to documents filed with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation in October. Construction on the project is expected to begin early next year and take 18 months.

Based on TDLR’s filings, the estimated start date is March 17, 2025, with a completion date of September 18, 2026. All TDLR filings are subject to change. News of upcoming upgrades already has local residents looking forward to what’s to come and even talking about where the company should grow next.

After more than 60 years, the historic store on Austin’s South Congress has a new, approved look. Over the past two years, HEB has made significant updates to Austin’s oldest store.

Demolition of HEB’s original South Congress store began in February 2022, and the grocer opened a small temporary store in the nearby Twin Oaks Shopping Center to serve customers during the construction period. The South Congress store will open at 6 a.m. Dec. 4.