H-E-B

HEB Grocery Company, LP (stylized as H-E-B), also known as H-E-B Grocery Stores, is a privately held supermarket chain based in San Antonio, Texas, with more than 350 stores throughout the U.S. state of Texas, as well as in northern Mexico. The company also operates Central Market, an upscale organic and fine foods retailer. As of 2019, the company has a total revenue surpassing $31.2 billion USD. H-E-B ranked No. 9 on Forbes' 2020 list of "America's Largest Private Companies." H-E-B was named Retailer of the Year in 2010 by Progressive Grocer. Supermarket News ranked H-E-B No. 13 in the 2008 "Top 75 North American Food Retailers." Based on 2019 revenues, H-E-B is the 19th-largest retailer in the United States. It donates 5 percent of pre-tax profits to charity. The official mascot of H-E-B is named H-E-Buddy, an anthropomorphic brown grocery bag, with multiple grocery items being shown coming out of the top. It has been labeled a religious company; until 1976 it was closed on Sundays and did not sell alcohol.
== History ==
The company was founded on November 26, 1905, when Florence Butt opened the C.C. Butt Grocery Store on the ground floor of her family home in Kerrville, Texas. In 1919, Howard Edward Butt, Florence's youngest son, took over the store upon his return from World War I. Shortly after becoming owner of his mother's small store, Howard tried four expansions into Central Texas, including one in Junction, all of which failed. Finally, in 1927, Howard launched a successful second store in Del Rio, Texas, followed by the purchase of three grocery stores in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The initials of Howard E. Butt became the name of the store.
Charles, the younger son of Howard E. Butt, became president of H-E-B in 1971. As of 2019, Charles Butt is chairman and CEO of H-E-B, having grown the business from annual sales of $250 million in 1971 to $13 billion in 2006. In 2010, Craig Boyan was named H-E-B's president and COO. By 2018, Martin Otto, the former CFO and chief merchant, had become the COO. In 2011, the company was #12 H-E-B is the largest privately held company and largest private employer in Texas.
H-E-B acquired Favor Delivery as a wholly owned subsidiary in February 2018. The details of the merger were not disclosed.
In 2019, H-E-B invested millions of dollars to replace cashier stations with self-checkout kiosks or smartphone apps, at the same time that many other supermarkets (such as Walmart, Target, etc.) were shifting towards more self-checkout lanes, and app usage.
== Operations ==
Headquartered in downtown San Antonio, H-E-B operates more than 300 stores in over 150 communities across Texas. As of late 2010, its operations serve approximately "55-plus" percent of the Texas market, with primary Texas markets including the Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Laredo and Houston metro areas. The company does business in five different retail formats: general H-E-B stores, Central Market, H-E-B Plus, Mi Tienda and Joe V's Smart Shop. In 2010, the company announced plans to build 19 new stores in Texas. H-E-B opened its first store outside of Texas in 1996, a 24,000-square-foot (2,200 m2) H-E-B Pantry store in Lake Charles, Louisiana; though the expansion was, in comparison, short-lived and ultimately failed to catch on, either with planners or with the community. The H-E-B Pantry store format was discontinued in 2000, and the company closed its sole Louisiana store in 2003. In 2010, H-E-B offered consumers the opportunity to vote on possible designs for new stores as they expand into new communities.
The company operates several manufacturing facilities in Texas, including one of the largest milk- and bread-processing plants in the Southwest. H-E-B produces many of their own-brand products, including milk, ice cream, bread, snacks, and ready-cooked meats and meals. These and other private-label products are sold under various brands, including "Central Market Naturals", "Central Market Organics", "H-E-B", "H-E-Buddy", "Hill Country Fare", "H-E-B Creamy Creations" ice cream, "H-E-B Mootopia" milk, and "H-E-B Fully Cooked".
Several stores include multiple-tenant operations through third-party lease arrangements. Many stores include a bank operation, cellular kiosk, and multiple nationally recognized tenants.
The Austin Business Journal rated H-E-B as the largest private-sector employer in the region in 2017.
In 2019, the company announced plans to build a technology center at its headquarters complex.
==Store concepts==
===Mexico===
*H-E-B Mexico - supermarket chain
===United States===
*H-E-B - supermarket chain
*Central Market - gourmet grocery chain
*H-E-B Plus! - supermarket chain
*Mi Tienda - Hispanic supermarket chain
*Joe V's Smart Shop - discount supermarket chain
*True Texas Barbecue - barbecue resturant 
==See also==
*Albertsons - competitor
Category:Supermarkets
Category:Retailers
Category:North America
Category:Companies
Category:Franchises
Category:Brands
Category:USA