H-E-B opened its third Joe V’s Smart Shop Nov. 21, bringing the discount grocery format to Irving for the first time. The 57,920-square-foot store at 2407 W. Airport Freeway opened at 7 a.m., marking the value-focused brand’s expansion beyond Dallas proper.
The Irving location converts a former 24 Hour Fitness gym that closed in 2020 during the pandemic. H-E-B invested about $10 million in renovations that began in March, according to filings with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.
“We all know that high grocery prices have placed a heavy burden on many families in our city, state and nation,” Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer said during a ribbon-cutting event on Nov. 20. “Joe V’s will provide vital relief.”
The store tailored its assortment to surrounding South Asian and Latino populations with 20-pound rice bags, corn masa, various cheeses, okra, dragon fruit, peppers and ghee. The location stocks fresh produce, in-store cut meats, tortillas and bread made daily and fresh sushi alongside organic selections.
“We bring in the best of the best of H-E-B at even better prices and then try to find the assortment that the customer wants,” said Justin Tippett, COO of Joe V’s Smart Shop.
“The Irving area is very dense, populated and needs more grocery stores, and so we wanted to be a part of that and serve this community.”
The Irving store measures 50,000 square feet compared to H-E-B flagship locations that can exceed 130,000 square feet. The smaller format still includes full grocery departments with produce, meat and dairy but focuses on high-velocity items to keep costs down.
Joe V’s maintains prices 10-20 percent lower than traditional H-E-B stores through operational efficiencies including purchasing full truckloads and shipping directly to stores to eliminate warehouse costs. The format concentrates on tonnage items customers want most rather than carrying slow-moving SKUs.
“We focus on the items customers want; we focus on the tonnage and that really helps us keep our costs low,” said Roxanne Orsak, H-E-B’s chief operating officer. “We don’t have to inventory products that don’t sell.”
The Irving opening follows Joe V’s first North Texas store that opened in southern Dallas at 4101 W. Wheatland Road in June 2024, the brand’s first location outside the Houston area where it launched in 2010. A second Dallas location opened in March on the city’s east side at Buckner and Samuell boulevards, employing more than 232 people.
Joe V’s operates 14 stores with 11 in the Houston area and three in North Texas. The Irving site selected a space too small for a full-size H-E-B but suitable for the streamlined Joe V’s format in a densely populated market.
H-E-B continues North Texas expansion with approximately 10 flagship stores open in the four-county Metroplex core. The San Antonio-based retailer recently opened its second Frisco location and has additional sites planned for Mid-Cities, the Hillcrest area, Forney, Murphy and Rockwall. The company also opened its 10th namesake store in Rockwall in October.
Joe V’s Smart Shop operates as part of H-E-B’s multiformat strategy alongside Central Market upscale stores and Mi Tienda Hispanic-focused locations. H-E-B reported $43.6 billion in revenue in 2023 across its 435 total stores.
[RELATED: H-E-B Debuts 11th Joe V’s Smart Shop In Houston Area]
