Grocery chain H-E-B continues expansion into North Texas

Grocery store chain H-E-B's infiltration of the Dallas-Fort Worth area is now fully underway.

Driving the news: The Texas-based chain's second Collin County store opens Wednesday in Plano, at the corner of Preston Road and Spring Creek Parkway.

• The company recently announced another location is planned for Fort Worth.

Flashback: H-E-B opened its Frisco store in late September — and it has been booming.

Why it matters: While H-E-B is beloved in other parts of the state, the chain has — until recently — avoided planting its flagship stores in North Texas.

• Kroger and Albertsons, which operate a combined 195 stores locally, recently announced plans to merge, which could lead to some of those stores being sold or closing.

Of note: H-E-B's up-market gourmet brand, Central Market, already has several locations in the region.

What's next: There are more H-E-B locations planned in Allen, McKinney and Mansfield. The company has also purchased land in other parts of Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton.

The bottom line: This could be great news for North Texas shoppers. H-E-B has a popular house brand, some great prepared foods (think tortillas and queso) and the new competition has the potential to raise the quality of grocery stores across the area.