page_title: Hispanics and Latinos in Houston
section_title: Economy
hierarchical_section_title: Hispanics and Latinos in Houston / Economy
caption_attribution_description: English: Supermercado de Wal-Mart (meaning "Wal-Mart Supermarket") in Spring Branch, Houston - Neighborhood Market Store #3578 - 7960 Long Point Road at Wirt, Houston, TX 77055 Español: Supermercado de Wal-Mart en Spring Branch, Houston - Neighborhood Market Store #3578 - 7960 Long Point Road y Wirt, Houston, TX 77055
context_page_description: The Hispanic population in Houston is increasing as more immigrants from Latin American countries come to work in the area. As of 2006 the city has the third-largest Hispanic population in the United States. As of 2011, the city is 44% Hispanic. As of 2011, of the city's U.S. citizens that are Hispanic, half are age 18 or older, and are therefore at the age range eligible to vote. As of 2011 many Hispanics in Houston are not U.S. citizens, especially those living in Gulfton and Spring Branch, and are therefore ineligible to vote in elections. As a result, Hispanics have proportionally less representation in the municipal government than other ethnic groups. As of April 2011 two of the Houston City Council members are Hispanic, making up 18% of the council.
  As of 2010, John B. Strait and Gang Gong, authors of "Ethnic Diversity in Houston, Texas: The Evolution of Residential Segregation in the Bayou City, 1990–2000," stated that Hispanics and Latinos had "intermediate levels of segregation" from non-Hispanic whites.
context_section_description: In 1991, most Hispanic-owned businesses in Greater Houston were in industries with lower profit margins, such as construction, distribution, and services. The largest Hispanic-owned business was RioStar Corp., which operated Ninfa's. The business generating the highest number of sales was Solvents & Chemicals and Packaging Services of Pearland, Texas.
  Fiesta Mart was established in 1972 by two non-Hispanic white men; one of them, Donald Bonham, wished to create a store serving Hispanic and Latino customers. Allison Wollam of the Houston Business Journal said "The company has been successful at targeting the Hispanic market and specifically catering to their needs and shopping styles." Bernie Murphy, a spokesperson for Fiesta, said in 2006 that at some stores Hispanics make up to 70% of those stores's clientele. For a period it was the sole major chain catering to Hispanics and Latinos. By 2015 Fiesta experienced serious competition as other chains began targeting Hispanics and Latinos.
  In 2003 Kroger converted its Gulfton location into a Hispanic-themed supermarket. In December 2010 Kroger announced that the Gulfton Kroger would close by the end of January, as it has been an under-performing store. Kroger owned the store location, and the chain was considering selling it to another grocery chain. 
  In 2006 H-E-B opened the "Mi Tienda" ("My Store") Hispanic-themed store in the City of South Houston, near Pasadena. As of 2007 all of its employees spoke Spanish. Another Mi Tienda opened in north Houston in 2011; it is twice the size of the original location, and has 97,000 square feet (9,000 m²) of space. H-E-B-owned Joe V's Smart Shop also targets Hispanic and Latino consumers.
  In April 2009 Wal-Mart opened the 39,000-square-foot (3,600 m²) "Supermercado de Walmart," a store designed to appeal to Hispanic customers, in Spring Branch. Converted from a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, it was the first "Supermercado de Walmart" opened by the company in the United States. June 2009 Wal-Mart was scheduled to open Más Club, a version of Sam's Club catering to Hispanics and Latinos. Más Club closed in January 2014. Supermercado de Wal-Mart closed in December 2014.
  As of 2015 several Aldi locations in Houston cater to Hispanic and Latino customers.
caption: The Supermercado de Walmart store in the Spring Branch area was designed to accommodate Hispanic customers; it opened in 2009 and closed in 2014
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