In a nutshell
H-E-B, Kroger and Tom Thumb accounted for nearly half of all new retail construction in 2024, according to a retail report from Texas-based real estate firm Weitzman. The same report projected those retailers to continue driving much of the new retail construction in 2025.
Grocery stores are opening in cities along the US 380 corridor that have experienced significant population growth. H-E-B officials opened the company’s first Prosper location in August, and Celina is preparing for a future Costco location that could open in late 2026.
David Palmer, executive vice president of development for Weitzman, said company officials are optimistic about continued grocery store growth in North Texas.
“Grocer-anchored retail shopping centers are some of the most valuable retail real estate in the market when it's done because of the stability,” Palmer said. “It’s the bedrock of the growth of retail in DFW.”
Zooming out
New grocery stores are opening due to population growth and active competition, Palmer said. The first Dallas-Fort Worth location of H-E-B debuted in Frisco in 2022. Since then, more stores have opened in McKinney, Plano, Prosper, Alliance and Allen.
“For the last three or four years—almost exclusively—the growth in the retail market has been grocery-anchored centers,” he said. “That’s H-E-B coming into our market in a big way, and that’s Kroger following suit and Tom Thumb following suit.”
John Votava, corporate affairs director for Kroger, said Kroger officials consider growth when determining sites for new stores. Kroger wants to meet demand for grocery services in growing neighborhoods.
“We’re just following the rooftops—where you see communities springing up out of the dirt,” he said.
Kroger officials also examine demographics when determining what products the stores serve. For instance, 42% of the community surrounding a new Kroger store at 9617 Coit Road in Plano is Asian, Votava said. As a result, officials decided to increase the number of products that cater to the Asian demographic as a result, he said.
“That’s what we’re doing is paying attention to the changes in population, but then we’re also paying attention to the changes in demographics too,” he said.
The new Plano store opened in January with 123,000 square feet and serves as an anchor store for the Coit Marketplace. It’s one of two stores opened by Kroger in 2025. The second opened in Fort Worth.
More Kroger stores are under construction in Little Elm, Anna and Sendera Ranch, a neighborhood located in north Fort Worth, Votava said. Another Kroger store, located along the Prosper-McKinney border is expected to start construction in 2026.
Looking ahead
Nakia Rohde, Trader Joe’s public relations manager, said in a statement to Community Impact that since opening its first Texas store in 2012, the company has grown to 23 locations statewide, with two more opening soon.
A new Trader Joe’s is coming soon to McKinney at 8101 Eldorado Parkway, and a potential new location is planned in Frisco.
“We are actively exploring hundreds of neighborhoods across the country, including some in Texas, as we hope to open new neighborhood stores each year,” Rohde said. “Our goal is always to bring delicious products at great values to as many people and neighborhoods as we can.”
Palmer said the Dallas-Fort Worth area’s population growth and continued migration will keep driving grocery store development as retailers work to “catch up” with demand.
“In the late teens and first couple years of this decade, there weren’t many new grocer-anchored centers that developed but population continued to grow,” Palmer said. “The market’s become very active in terms of a catch-up.”
Since 2020, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties have seen increased population growth. Collin County has grown by nearly 17%, Denton County by just over 14% and Tarrant County by more than 5%, according to U.S. Census Bureau data.
