HEB ready to build the second tech center

HEB announced plans for a tech center at its headquarters in San Antonio that could employ as many as 1,000.

The features at HEB’s new facility will include a variety of collaborative workspaces and meeting rooms, advanced technology and videoconferencing capabilities. Positions housed there will include software engineers, mobile app developers and product designers, chief digital officer Jag Bath told the Rivard Report.

Shoppers at HEB are arguably some of the most loyal customers of any grocery chain, and the company sees them as increasingly tech-savvy, too. Ranked the top retailer in Texas in 2018, HEB is hard at work using digital capabilities to enhance shopper experience not only online, but in stores. The company’s curbside and home delivery services will expand to more than 200 locations by the end of the year. It also continues to pilot HEB Go, its scan-and-go checkout solution, at seven stores in Austin.

HEB is a clear digital leader among grocers in Texas where it boasts a 60% share of the grocery market. But the company still faces stiff competition in the region from chains like Walmart, which is pursuing e-commerce with ferocity. The two companies have gone head-to-head for years, and the competition will only intensify as Walmart doubles down on grocery and competes for some of the same tech talent as HEB.

Source: grocerydive.com