Southside Historic Icon Reopens as the New
H-E-B plus! at McCreless Market
Festivities Include Donation of $20,000 in Financial Gifts to Community Non-Profits 

San Antonio , TX – Aug 01, 2008 – A San Antonio landmark on the city’s southside today is seeing new life with the opening of the new H-E-B plus! at McCreless Market.

The store’s grand opening festivities began on Thursday evening with a community preview party offering neighbors a sneak peek of their new store where they enjoyed food sampling, prizes and an outdoor musical concert by VonArmy. The preview party also included the presentation of donations totaling $20,000 by H-E-B to two community groups, the Presa Community Center and Southeast Community Outreach for Older People (S.C.O.O.P).

The store officially opened for regular business at 6 a.m. this morning to a line of waiting customers eager to experience their new store. To celebrate the store’s green energy focus and initiatives — 35 percent of the store’s energy is renewable through the use of Windtricity — customers received free
H-E-B’s signature green reusable shopping bags.

H-E-B purchased the former McCreless Mall site in 2003 and began an extensive renovation to see the site restored to its place as a top shopping destination. Designed as an open-air shopping center, the 142,000 square-foot McCreless Market features not only the H-E-B plus! but 50 other retailers as well, including Frost Bank, Bealls, Marshalls, Blockbuster, Radio Shack, Shoe Carnival, Payless Shoes and Starbucks. Additionally, Cinemark reopened today after a remodel to now become the first in the immediate area to offer first-run movies. Rounding out the mix of retailers in the new shopping center is UPS, Fantastic Sam’s and Subway. An existing Taco Cabana on the site underwent a remodel to better fit the aesthetics of its new shopping center.

The H-E-B plus! at McCreless Market was conceptualized as way to better serve the surrounding communities which had been previously served by two older H-E-B stores. With the opening of the
H-E-B plus! at McCreless Market, these neighboring stores were closed on July 31.

“McCreless Market is a symbol of our deep commitment to the southside community and the city of San Antonio. It represents a sizable investment for us as a company to see this area re-energized as a vibrant shopping center that attracts new interest and shoppers,” said Dya Campos, H-E-B Public Affairs Director. 

The H-E-B plus! at McCreless Market represents the fourth H-E-B plus! to open in San Antonio. The store expands upon H-E-B’s core strengths in fresh foods such as produce, dairy, meat, bakery and seafood, while introducing exciting new departments not found at traditional grocery stores.  These include Do-It-Yourself, Bed & Bath, Cook & Grill and Card & Party. The store also features an in-store dining café called Spoonz. In addition, the store will offer a gas island, which further carries on the store’s green initiative by featuring gas permeators which capture fugitive CO2 emissions. The opening of H-E-B plus! and McCreless Market shopping center will also see new job opportunities created in the area. The H-E-B plus! alone will employ more than 500 Partners (employees).

About H-E-B
For more than 100 Years, H-E-B has been an innovative retailer. Known for its fresh food, quality products, convenient services, and a commitment to environmental responsibility and sustainability, H-E-B strives to provide the best customer experience at every day low prices. Based in San Antonio, H-E-B employs more than 67,000 Partners and serves millions of customers in more than 150 communities throughout Texas and Mexico. For more information, visit www.heb.com.