With its launch 30 years ago in Austin, Texas, the foodie-focused Central Market format put H-E-B on the path to becoming the highly successful multi-format retailer it is today.
Central Market was born out of the retailer’s desire to create something new and exciting for its shoppers. Inspired by European markets, the stores have winding aisles that lead shoppers through “a sensory food adventure punctuated by bright pops of fresh color, intriguing scents and flavors from around the globe,” as H-E-B describes it.
Hard to believe now, but the first Central Market, on Austin’s North Lamar Street, got off to a slow start, according to Stephen Butt, the format’s president. The grocer had even been warned to think twice before opening such a store, as it was going against traditional retail wisdom by not carrying mainstream products from companies like Coke, Pepsi and Frito-Lay.
But within just a couple of years, the concept had caught on, and today it has cultivated a faithful following for its 10 Central Market locations in Texas. There are now two stores in Austin, three in Dallas and single stores in Plano, Southlake, Fort Worth and San Antonio.
“We have customers that drive 25 miles or more to shop with us on a regular basis,” Butt said. “Before we had stores in the [Dallas] Metroplex, we would regularly see customers from Dallas and Fort Worth in our Austin store.
“Now that we’ve been in DFW for a number of years, we have regular customers from Oklahoma, Oklahoma City, that drive in. We usually see them on the weekends or for our special events.”
He said it’s not uncommon when its regular shoppers have family in from out of town that one of their outings is to visit Central Market. That leads to people from states such as Illinois, California and New Jersey asking H-E-B to open stores there.
“It’s fun to see their distant relatives when they bring them in to show off their store, and it always excites our group when people from out of state come and talk about how they love the store and they wish they had one,” Butt said. “But we really want to take good care of our loyal shoppers who come shop with us every week.”
There’s a lot for everyone to see at Central Market. The stores offer a “bountiful” produce department, 80-foot seafood case with selections from around the world, hundreds of cheeses, 2,500 wine labels and specialty grocery aisles with products from every continent. Seven of the stores incorporate a cooking school featuring hands-on instruction.
Worthy celebration
The San Antonio, Texas-based retailer held a two-week celebration in September to commemorate Central Market’s 30th anniversary. The retailer used the catchy phrase “Let’s Renew Our Wows” as a touchpoint for the celebrations.
“Clever and fun marketing is a mainstay of the Central Market brand,” said Chris Bostad, VP of procurement and marketing for Central Market. “We’re very serious about food, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously, and our marketing reflects that energy.
“Instead of the usual anniversary sales that you see elsewhere, we had a ‘Renew Our Wows’ celebration that acknowledged our 30-year relationship with our customers and the special bond we hold together for the love of food. It was a huge success, and we had lots of fun
with it.”
Every store had a full roster of events, according to Bostad.
“We held a 30th Anniversary Celebration tasting event featuring items from around the world, like Japanese Snow-Aged Wagyu Beef, commemorative Flamigni Panettone and Crucolo cheese sourced from southern Italy’s Dolomite Mountains.”
Local Texas chefs Ryan Pera, Tiffany Derry, Chris Shepherd and Alex Snodgrass brought some of their favorite signature dishes to the stores.
There also was a “Future Foodies” event for kids, “where they got to take a palate-expanding food journey as they explored and experienced products from around the store,” Bostad said. “We had a Bengali wedding celebration in one of our cooking schools, where more than 80 customers got to experience food in a new way. Our cooking schools hosted celebrity chefs such as Martin Yan, Virginia Willis and special wine classes with legendary winemaker Jean‑Charles Boisset.”
And to kick off the celebration in a huge way, on Sept. 11 the grocer set a Guinness World Record for Largest Charcuterie Board. It weighed in at a record 1,032 pounds and was constructed at the company’s first location, on North Lamar in Austin.
It included 540 pounds of cured meats, such as Niman Ranch applewood-smoked ham, Levoni schiacciata piccante and Salami Napoli; 240 pounds of Manchego and triple-cream brie cheeses; 130 pounds of fruits, including Divina Castelvetrano olives; and 90 pounds of Divina fig spread and Janet’s Finest mixed berry -jalapeño compote.
[RELATED: Central Market Sets Guinness World Record For Largest Charcuterie Board]
“We hosted returning favorites Ray Benson and Friends at our Westgate location to celebrate our 30th in style, and they brought the same convivial spirit of South Austin that they brought to our 10- and 20-year anniversaries,” he added.
Bostad said the response on social media “reflected lots of love from our customers.”
“As part of our Napa Wine Weekend sweepstakes, customers wrote us love letters to share fond memories of shopping our stores over the past 20 and 30 years, how our Partners made a difference in their most important meals and events, and how Central Market has fostered their sense of culinary discovery over these years,” he said.
In addition, a $30,000 check was presented to the St. David’s Foundation as part of the festivities, reflecting Central Market’s care for its communities over the last three decades.
now 30th anniversary celebrations. The photo features Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel at the
20th anniversary celebration at the Fort Worth Central Market.
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