Mansfield’s new ‘one-stop shop’: Take a look inside the new H-E-B opening this week

UPDATE: The H-E-B in Mansfield opens Wednesday with huge crowds.

At a ribbon-cutting for the new H-E-B in Mansfield on Tuesday, the excitement was palpable.

H-E-B’s managing director of public affairs, Mabrie Jackson, told the crowd that it has been wonderful to see the community’s enthusiasm for the store, which opens to the public at 6 a.m. Wednesday.

A Facebook group called H-E-B Foodie Group Mansfield has amassed over 20,000 members and followed the store’s progress for months. The group’s administrator, Sheree Kirsch, was at Tuesday’s ceremony, and even created a custom T-shirt for the opening of the Mansfield store.

Also there was 97-year-old Margie Johnson, who has shopped at H-E-B since the 1950s. She told her family she couldn’t die until an H-E-B was built in Mansfield.

Both Kirsch and Johnson were given gift baskets with an assortment of H-E-B items.

H-E-B executives, Mansfield elected officials and leaders of community groups also attended the store’s ribbon-cutting.

The company donated $10,000 each to Big Hearts Day Habilitation Center and the Mansfield Animal Shelter.

Located at 1670 E. Broad St., the store is H-E-B’s second in Tarrant County. H-E-B Mansfield will have just under 800 employees, 90 percent of whom were hired locally.

Inside the 128,000-square-foot H-E-B, shoppers will find a wealth of grocery and home items.

The H-E-B has a full-service pharmacy with a drive-thru, a True Texas BBQ restaurant, a Bloom floral department staffed by in-house florists, a Texas Backyard department with outdoor items and a Home by H-E-B decor department with furniture, woven textiles and accent pieces.

Curbside pickup services are also available. Popular H-E-B brands including Hill Country Fare and Mi Tienda are available. Those looking for extra discounts can find H-E-B’s yellow coupons on shelves throughout the store; shoppers can also find the coupons in the H-E-B app.

An H-E-B fuel station is across the parking lot from the store.

The vice president of H-E-B’s northwest food and drug division, Juan-Carlos Ruck, said the company held focus groups with community members to pinpoint how to best serve the Mansfield area.

“I remember hearing a lot about very busy families that have made multiple stops in multiple different areas. What we’re hoping for is that this could be a one-stop shop,” Ruck said.

Currently in his 10th year working for H-E-B, Mansfield’s top store leader, Shannon Crites, said he’s excited to help his team members succeed.

“It’s cool to get to lead a group of 800 people, and just watch people grow,” he said.

H-E-B has over 160,000 employees across its 435 stores in Texas and Mexico.

Disclosure: H-E-B is a funder of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab. The company has no influence over editorial decisions.