It’s been more than 30 years since Kroger closed all of its San Antonio grocery stores and two years since the company ended its delivery services to the Alamo City. The move removed one of H-E-B’s biggest rivals, but that doesn’t mean the company has abandoned Texas entirely.

The Cincinnati-based grocery chain has served shoppers across the country for more than 140 years, and a growing community in North Texas is set to receive a $40 million outpost. Kroger is setting up the new grocery store in Princeton, a town northeast of Dallas in Collin County that was named the fastest-growing city in America last year.

“Kroger coming to Princeton is exciting news for our residents,” Mayor Eugene Escobar Jr. said in an email to MySA. “As our community grows, families need more places to shop close to home. Kroger will give residents more choices and help keep sales tax dollars in Princeton to support City services and our community’s future.”

A filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) listed the Princeton Kroger as a $10 million project. However, Kroger officials told MySA that the total development will cost closer to $40 million. Once completed, the store will offer full-service groceries, pharmacy, expanded general merchandise, a Murray’s Cheese counter, grab-and-go kiosks, and a fuel center with 14 fueling positions.

The 100,000-square-foot store is aiming to begin construction on January 28, 2027, and wrap up by October 8, 2027, according to the TDLR filing. That timeline is subject to change, but for now it aligns with Kroger’s plans to open the store by late 2027, officials confirmed with MySA. Kroger expects the new store to create 200 jobs for the Princeton area.

Princeton meanwhile took the title of America’s fastest-growing city last year after its population climbed 30.6%, from 28,000 residents in July 2023 to 37,000 residents in July 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That number has since climbed to more than 45,000, up from 16,000 residents in 2020.

Find it: 1120 W. Princeton Drive, Princeton, TX 75407