| 1900s and 1910s |
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1905 |
Florence Thornton Butt opens her first store in Kerrville, Texas on November 26 with a credit & delivery system. The store is 750 sq. ft. and carries only groceries. |
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1906 |
Mrs. Butt invests in the company’s first transportation system by purchasing a horse and wagon to make grocery deliveries.
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1913 |
H-E-B hires its first employee, G. Leland Richeson. He later becomes one of H-E-B’s first retirees.
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1916 |
Mrs. Butt and her son, Howard E. Butt, add more horsepower to their transportation fleet with the purchase of a Model T for deliveries.
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1919 |
Howard E. Butt takes over the family business.
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| 1920s |
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1922 |
H-E-B converts to a cash & carry system and lowers prices for the first time. The company adds meats and a few unrefrigerated produce items along with items such as toothpaste, razor blades and aspirin.
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1924 |
H-E-B converts to a grocery system of food aisles and check stands.
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1926 |
H-E-B doubles in size by successfully opening a second store in Del Rio.
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1928 |
H-E-B moves headquarters from Kerrville to Harlingen.
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1929 |
H-E-B opens its first store in Laredo.
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| 1930s |
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1930 |
H-E-B owns 17 stores with annual sales exceeding more than $2 million (valued at more than $20 million today).
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1931 |
H-E-B enters its largest city yet –– Corpus Christi.
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1933 |
A major hurricane destroys H-E-B’s Harlingen distribution warehouse, but stores stay open to provide food for disaster victims.
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1934 |
H-E-B formalizes its spirit of giving by begining to contribute five percent of pre-tax earnings to charitable causes.
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1936 |
The captivating aroma of fresh bread overpowers the salt air around Corpus Christi when H-E-B opens the company’s central bakery.
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1937 |
H-E-B delights children clamoring to swing their legs and sit up high when it introduces rolling baskets to replace wooden, over-the-arm baskets.
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1937 |
H-E-B purchases audiometers for free hearing tests in Kerrville and Rio Grande Valley schools.
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1937 |
H-E-B opens its first store with a vapor-cooled vegetable display counter and parking lot in Corpus Christi.
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1937 |
H-E-B begins operating the Harlingen Cannery Co.; the first product is grapefruit juice.
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1938 |
H-E-B purchases coffee-roasting equipment and begins packaging coffee under the names “H-E-B Quality” and “H-E-B Best.” Texans are more wideawake than ever.
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1938 |
H-E-B breaks into Longhorn territory with the purchase of four stores in Austin.
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1939 |
H-E-B establishes a banana-curing room in its Harlingen warehouse.
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| 1940s |
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1940 |
H-E-B moves headquarters from Harlingen to Corpus Christi.
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1941 |
H-E-B begins sending news from home to Partners serving in World War II.
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1942 |
H-E-B opens its first air-conditioned store and offers frozen foods.
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1943 |
H-E-B begins doing business in the Alamo City after buying three stores in San Antonio.
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1943 |
Rosie the Riveter shows up at H-E-B when the company hires its first female store manager, Ms. Bessie Schroeder, for a Corpus Christi store. By the end of the year, H-E-B hires nine female store managers, who all remain with the company after World War II ends.
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1948 |
H-E-B opens its first store in Waco.
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1949 |
H-E-B opens Silver Valley bottling plant at Harlingen Cannery Company.
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1949 |
A cool sigh of relief is felt across the Gulf Coast beach when H-E-B opens an ice cream plant in Corpus Christi with a 15-gallon freezer.
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| 1950s |
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1950 |
H-E-B opens its first self-service drug department in Waco.
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1950 |
Remember pay phones? H-E-B installs its first pay phone at an Austin store.
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1952 |
H-E-B opens a new warehouse in San Antonio.
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1952 |
Howard E. Butt is elected to the Executive Committee of the National Association of Food Chains.
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1952 |
H-E-B opens the first complete food/drug store in the
U.S. in Corpus Christi.
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1952 |
H-E-B now employs 2,000 Partners in 56 Texas stores.
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1953 |
H-E-B opens 14 retail stores in San Antonio.
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1954 |
Mrs. Florence Butt dies in Kerrville at the age of 89.
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1955 |
H-E-B celebrates its golden anniversary with 70 retail stores.
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1955 |
Who’s got more pineapples, H-E-B or Hawaii? The Harlingen Cannery Co. becomes the largest pineapple processor in the continental U.S.
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1956 |
H-E-B introduces "Texas Gold" stamps for customers to collect and redeem for gifts.
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1957 |
H-E-B opens a Corpus Christi store featuring the first play area for children.
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| 1960s |
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1960 |
H-E-B purchases its first diesel truck and trailer rig.
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1962 |
H-E-B begins building larger stores up to 30,000 square feet.
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1964 |
H-E-B breaks ground on a new, six-acre distribution center in San Antonio.
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| 1970s |
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1971 |
Charles Butt is named President of H.E. Butt Grocery Company.
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1972 |
Texas State Senate passes Resolution No. 81, a special commendation to Howard E. Butt for his contributions to the State of Texas.
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1972 |
H-E-B opens completely automated ice cream plant, and bread and pastry bakery in San Antonio.
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1976 |
Got milk? H-E-B does when it opens a modern milk plant in San Antonio. H-E-B is now the largest milk processor in Texas and operates the state's largest bread bakery. |
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1980s |
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1980 |
H-E-B reaches $1 billion in sales during its 75 th anniversary and launches its first in-store customer prize game, Diamond Jubilee Bingo.
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1982 |
H-E-B operates more than 150 stores in 75 Texas communities; by 2005, H-E-B sales will increase 10 times over.
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1982 |
Picture this: H-E-B introduces a modern photo processing plant.
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1985 |
H-E-B's headquarters are relocated from Corpus Christi to the historic Arsenal in San Antonio where they remain today. The Arsenal was built in 1859 to furnish munitions to Texas frontier forts. It served as a supply depot in the Civil War, as well as during both World Wars. As headquarters for H-E-B, it's still a supply depot of sorts.
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1987 |
H-E-B opens first video rental center, H-E-B Video Central, in San Antonio.
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1988 |
H-E-B opens its first economical, convenience-oriented Pantry Food store in East Texas.
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1989 |
H-E-B hosts the first Feast of Sharing dinners in Laredo and Corpus Christi. Today, H-E-B hosts 23 Feast of Sharing dinners in Texas and Mexico from November through December, serving more than 210,000 people annually.
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| 1990s |
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1990 |
H-E-B establishes a relationship with Daymon Associates to develop Own Brand products. Today, the company has launched more than 3,000 Own Brand products, ranging from eggs and yogurt to bacon and charcoal.
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1991 |
H-E-B introduces Low Prices Every Day campaign.
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1991 |
H-E-B opens Marketplace, a 93,000-sq. ft. store in San Antonio, which is a pre-cursor to Central Market.
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1992 |
H-E-B introduces the first new Own Brand products milk and Creamy Creations Ice Cream. Both remain customer favorites.
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1994 |
H-E-B introduces H-E-B More Fruit to compete with popular national brand jellies and jams.
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1994 |
H-E-B opens the first Central Market in Austin, featuring a European bakery and specialty products from around the globe. Today, H-E-B operates seven Central Market stores in Austin, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano.
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1995 |
H-E-B introduces Own Brand soft drinks, pasta and sauce.
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1995 |
H-E-B enters Midland/Odessa.
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1997 |
H-E-B expands its business across the border into Mexico with the opening of a new store in Monterrey.
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1997 |
H-E-B becomes the first retail company to be recognized with the Texas Governors' Award for Environmental Excellence.
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1999 |
H-E-B receives the Clean Cities National Partner Award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
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| 2000s |
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2000 |
H-E-B introduces H-E-Buddy mascot. Children across Texas are delighted.
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2001 |
H-E-B enters the Houston market in a Texas-sized way with large-format stores; the first one opens at Fountainview and Westheimer.
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2002 |
H-E-B hosts the first Excellence in Education Awards celebration in San Antonio. Today, H-E-B awards more than $400,000 in cash prizes to outstanding educators annually.
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2002 |
H-E-B opens its state-of-the-art Quality Assurance Laboratory, giving the company technologically advanced scientific capabilities. H-E-B is the only retailer in the U.S. to undertake extensive safety testing of produce and ground beef.
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2003 |
H-E-B receives the Retail Excellence Award from Supermarket News for its merchandising savvy, local marketing initiatives, superior customer service and strong community involvement.
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2003 |
H-E-B ranks sixth in the nation and first in Texas in a Consumer Reports reader's survey of the nation's top conventional supermarkets; the survey is based on price, checkout speed, service and cleanliness.
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2003 |
H-E-B ranks 10 th in the nation among privately held companies based on $11 billion in annual sales, according to Forbes .
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2003 |
America's Second Harvest, the nation's largest charitable hunger-relief organization, names H-E-B Regional Retailer of the Year for its unwavering commitment to combating hunger and malnutrition among Texas and Mexico residents.
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2003 |
H-E-B opens a new $4 million, 14,000-square-foot Transportation Terminal in Weslaco.
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2004 |
H-E-B introduces its new H-E-B Plus concept store in San Juan, Texas. The 109,000 sq. ft. store provides customers with expanded product and service offerings including extensive music, video and DVD selections; a larger baby department; dedicated space for grills and grilling supplies; an expanded card and party product section; lawn and garden equipment; electronic and household items and designated space for surprise buys.
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2004 |
H-E-B opens new Houston Bakery, a 114,000-square-foot, fully automated facility to provide fresh breads to the region. The bakery produces an average 153 loaves of bread and 750 buns per minute.
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2004 |
H-E-B opens a brand new $30 million retail support center in Monterrey, Mexico.
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2005 |
H-E-B celebrates 100 years of serving Texans. |
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