H-E-B announced that it plans to close one of its Houston stores next month “and turn the space into an e-commerce warehouse to support its home delivery and curbside pickup businesses,” the Houston Chronicle reports.
According to the story, the 28,000 square foot store has not been universally accepted by the neighborhood, as some have criticized it for being too small and with an inadequate selection. In fact, H-E-B has almost conceded that fact, saying that the economics of the location and store size simply did not work.
Scott McClelland, H-E-B’s president, says that he is “committed” to bringing a better store to the zip code, but that in the meantime, it is important to develop capacity to service the growing number of customers taking advantage of the retailer’s e-commerce offerings.
According to the story, the 28,000 square foot store has not been universally accepted by the neighborhood, as some have criticized it for being too small and with an inadequate selection. In fact, H-E-B has almost conceded that fact, saying that the economics of the location and store size simply did not work.
Scott McClelland, H-E-B’s president, says that he is “committed” to bringing a better store to the zip code, but that in the meantime, it is important to develop capacity to service the growing number of customers taking advantage of the retailer’s e-commerce offerings.
- KC's View:
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It seems to me that we’re going to see more and more of this - retailers understanding that it makes sense to devote increasing space and resources to the e-commerce business, which may in some cases actually serve customers better than a traditional bricks-and-mortar store.
MNB reader Rich Heiland wrote to me to suggest, “I think what I like about H-E-B is they aren’t afraid to admit failure, they do it openly and publicly and lay out the why of it all. And, they take a step forward, ala delivery, at the same time.”
That’s what a lot of folks like about H-E-B.
