H-E-B opens its biggest e-commerce fulfillment center ever

H-E-B on Wednesday announced the opening of its newest and largest e-commerce fulfillment center, located about 30 miles west of Houston in Katy, Texas.

The 100,000-square-foot fulfillment center is about twice the size of similar facilities and will satisfy curbside and home delivery orders across the Houston area, the grocer said. The new center will employ more than 300 part-time and full-time workers.

H-E-B spent an estimated $14.5 million on the construction project, according to a state filing.

“We’re excited to utilize this facility to support the Houston area, one of the largest markets for our company,” Kedar Patel, H-E-B Group VP of e-commerce, said in a statement. “Across our business, we are adopting innovative technologies that give our partners the tools they need to provide great service and a top-quality shopping experience for our customers.”

The facility in Katy is H-E-B’s seventh e-commerce fulfillment center opened since 2018. The Texas grocer said it intends to open an unspecified number of additional facilities across the state by the end of next year.

Using the centers to fulfill digital orders alleviates in-store congestion and boosts efficiency, the grocer said, noting that the facilities have allowed H-E-B to expand curbside and home delivery to more than 270 stores.

H-E-B launched curbside pickup at a single store in Houston at the end of 2015. In early 2018, the grocer acquired delivery company Favor, allowing it to debut home grocery delivery.

In June, H-E-B opened a 55,000-square-foot fulfillment center in Plano.

H-E-B operates about 50 stores in the Houston area and more than 420 supermarkets overall.