H-E-B is the Texas' largest private company and the #1 food retailer in South and Central Texas, H-E-B owns more than 300 supermarkets. H-E-B also has about 25 upscale and discount stores in Mexico. H-E-B processes some of its own bread, dairy products, meat, and tortillas. The 100-year-old company is owned by the Butt family, which founded H-E-B in Kerrville, Texas, in 1905. H-E-B currently operates eight Central Market stores in five Texas markets. The Texas grocery chain's newest format, Mi Tienda, debuted in Pasadena, Texas, in October 2006. The Hispanic-themed store features a Mexican-style bakery and other amenities designed to appeal to Latino shoppers. H-E-B is familiar with the tastes of Latinos as about half of its market is Hispanic.
History
H-E-B began 100 years ago in a tiny family shop in Kerrville, Texas. H-E-B was founded in 1905, when Florence Butt opened a store called C. C. Butt Staple and Fancy Groceries in the city of Kerrville, Texas. In 1919, Howard E. Butt, the smaller son, became the owner of the store after return from the First World War. In 1927, Howard opened a second store in Del Rio in West Texas, and over the next few years he opened other stores in the Rio Grande Valley. In 1935, Howard put his three children to work for the company, grooming son Charles for the top spot after Howard Jr. took over the H. E. Butt Foundation from his mother. The smallest son of Howard E. Butt, Chat, he became president of the chain H-E-B in 1971. While other chains updated their stores during the 1960s, H-E-B plodded. Howard Sr. resigned in 1971 and Charles took over, bringing in fresh management. But this was not enough; studies showed that the reasons for its lagging market share were its refusal to stock alcohol and its policy of Sunday closing. H-E-B abandoned these policies in 1976.
The company has become one of the most important chains of supermarkets in the United States, with sales over 11 thousand million dollars in 2003. In 1994,...