H-E-B Grows Tech Presence in Hometown of San Antonio

H-E-B said it would break ground on a 150,000-square-foot, five-story building in downtown San Antonio, further expanding its technology base in the Alamo City. Construction is scheduled to begin next summer and is tentatively set for completion by summer 2022; it comes on the heels of the retailer's new Eastside Tech Hub in Austin, Texas. 

As part of the expansion, H-E-B will add 500 new jobs in San Antonio and relocate some of its tech employees from other locations to San Antonio to house its digital teams closer together. With the growth of its subsidiary, H-E-B Digital, which includes its design, technology and e-commerce teams, the company says that it is strengthening its position as a leading digital retailer and brick-and-mortar business.

“Our success starts with our people, who provide exceptional hospitality to deliver world-class shopping and digital experiences,” said H-E-B President Craig Boyan. “We’re committed to hiring more people, adding the necessary skills to become both a better tech company and even stronger brick-and-mortar retailer.”

H-E-B's digital team consists of more than 1,000 tech employees, or "digital partners" as H-E-B calls them, in San Antonio and another several hundred at the Eastside Tech Hub. Like the sister facility in Austin, the new workspace will offer a variety of dynamic work areas, including open collaboration areas, individual workspaces and meeting rooms equipped with advanced technology and video conferencing capabilities. San Antonio-based Lake Flato Architects has been tapped to design the project, which will also boast modern amenities and innovative design elements that have become part of H-E-B's repertoire.

“The San Antonio tech center will be become part of the new front door to our Arsenal (San Antonio) campus, just as H-E-B Digital is creating a new front door for our customers online and via mobile shopping experiences,” said Jag Bath, chief digital officer ofvH-E-B.

For H-E-B, the new construction projects and hiring efforts constitute a companywide push to integrate more innovative technology-based services into its existing digital footprint. Along with the acquisition of Favor, H-E-B continues to expand its reach to more than 200 locations by year’s end. The company also has launched H-E-B Go, a mobile solution that allows shoppers to scan and pay for their items with their smartphones.

As the largest privately-held employer in Texas, H-E-B Digital reports that is actively hiring across all areas of expertise, including product management, product design, software engineering and in other areas of their business.