H-E-B is plotting a major upgrade for Ennis shoppers, with plans to replace its longtime store with a 112,000-square-foot supermarket more than double the current location's footprint. The new store is slated for the corner of N. Sonoma Trail and E. Ennis Ave., and the grocery chain says the existing store will keep serving customers until the replacement opens.
A Bigger Store Replaces a Five-Decade Fixture
According to H-E-B's newsroom, the project is still working its way through the permitting process, with the company expecting to start moving forward sometime in mid-2027 and estimating completion by late 2028. The existing H-E-B, which CultureMap Dallas reports has served Ennis residents for more than five decades, will remain open at 101 S. Clay St. until the new store is operational. H-E-B has not decided what will happen to that property once the current store closes, per the company's own statement.
Mabrie Jackson, H-E-B's managing director of public affairs, said the new building is meant to feel like it belongs in Ennis. “We are proud to have served our Ennis neighbors for more than 50 years, and we hope the new store will continue to be an important part of the community,” Jackson said in the H-E-B news release, adding that the design is intended to reflect the personality of the community.
What's Coming Inside the New Store
The new location is planned to include a full-service pharmacy with a drive-thru, curbside service with dedicated parking, and home delivery, alongside H-E-B South Flo Pizza, per the retailer's announcement. Shoppers can also expect a bakery turning out handmade artisan breads, cakes and warm tortillas made in-store daily, plus meat and seafood markets stocked with prime, natural and organic cuts, cooked options and seafood delivered daily.
The store is also set to feature an extensive craft beer and wine selection, a Healthy Living department with bulk foods and supplements, and a beauty department with cosmetics and essentials. Pet owners will find a department carrying Heritage Ranch pet food, toys and treats, while an H-E-B Blooms department will offer custom arrangements and décor. The plans also call for an H-E-B Texas Backyard section with live plants, pottery, soil and gardening supplies, an H-E-B Meal Simple section for chef-inspired meals made in-store, and a Sushiya counter alongside Asian grill items like rice and noodle bowls.
Ennis's Growth Spurt Sets the Stage
The investment lands in a city that has been reshaping itself fast. Ennis's retail trade area jumped 70%, from 43,300 in 2019 to 74,000 in 2022, according to the Dallas Business Journal. The outlet also reported that the city issued certificates of occupancy for 1,144 housing units over a two-year span, with another 5,121 units under development and 9,500 more in the pipeline, alongside a 52% increase in taxable value over that same period. Ennis sits roughly 30 miles south of downtown Dallas along I-45 and U.S. 287, with access to interstates 35, 30 and 20, the Business Journal noted.
The Ennis project also fits a broader pattern for H-E-B in North Texas. The company has announced plans to add six other stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the industry outlet Grocery Dive reported, and has already opened two Joe V's Smart Shop locations in the region over the past two years. Grocery Dive's reporting on H-E-B's 133,000-square-foot Prosper store, which broke ground in April 2024 and marked the chain's ninth namesake location in Dallas-Fort Worth since arriving in the region in 2022, points to a company leaning into bigger, more experience-driven formats.
That shift shows up elsewhere in Texas too. CoStar reported that H-E-B has been moving away from its standard 50,000-square-foot format toward stores topping 100,000 square feet with experiential offerings, pointing to a replacement store near San Antonio that grew to 122,222 square feet and added a two-story barbecue restaurant along with more than 150 new jobs, while retaining over 300 workers transferred from the original location — whose old site, per the same report, was later converted into a parking lot.
Company Size and the Numbers Gap
H-E-B describes itself as a grocery chain consistently rated among America's best, founded in 1905 and now employing more than 175,000 partners across Texas and Mexico while serving millions of customers in more than 300 communities. The company has also ranked No. 11 on Forbes' inaugural list of America's 100 largest family businesses. Figures on the company's exact scale vary by source: H-E-B's own newsroom states the company has sales of more than $50 billion and operates 460 stores in Texas and Mexico, while CoStar's reporting puts the figures at more than 430 stores and over $38 billion in annual sales.
