H-E-B set to open new Central Market in Dallas

It’s been more than three years in the making, but plans appear to be moving forward for a Central Market in Dallas. 

The site at McKinney and Lemmon avenues is home to a long-vacant Albertsons. The store would be H-E-B’s 11th Central Market location. 

The new Central Market will feature “expanded parking on two levels and an open-concept cooking school that will double as a community room for neighborhood meetings,” according to H-E-B. The location will also include a stage in the cafe area for live performances, the grocer said.

The store was originally part of a larger mixed-use project that never came to fruition. Construction on that project, which was originally expected to begin in April 2022, was delayed due to “a softer post-COVID commercial market,” according to H-E-B. 

“In recent months, Central Market, who took assignment of the property in 2016, went back to the drawing board to design a new standalone store within the parameters set by the property owner,” the company said in an email to Supermarket News.

Stephen Butt, president of Central Market and H-E-B Shareholder Relations, said the grocery chain plans to begin construction as soon as possible, but a groundbreaking date has not been set. 

“Uptown is a vibrant, walkable area, and we look forward to collaborating with neighborhood groups and city officials to creatively transform this important location,” Butt said.