North Texans may love their Cowboys, barbecue and air-conditioning, but you might want to add grocery stores to that list. Drive around some parts of Dallas-Fort Worth and you’re bound to find relatively new retail spots offering everything from tortillas to tilapia.
These grocers are investing millions of dollars in structures of over 100,000 square feet, and the big parking lots needed to support them, or in smaller packages with curated selections and compact shopping carts. In roughly the past 18 months, more than 15 big-name stores have popped up in North Texas neighborhoods.
While many parts of the region are getting in on the action, the more recent retail spots that benefit from the investments often have ties to the massive U.S. Highway 380 artery that stretches across the northern region of Dallas-Fort Worth. You can credit the burgeoning number of transplants from other states. For example, Collin County ranked No. 4 for growth in the country among its peers as it added more than 140,000 people in one year, according to the Census.
There are other areas, as well, including the eastern portions of the region, along with parts of the Fort Worth area. And while the patterns of growth could shift, the overall expansion is powering demand for stores offering fresh food choices.
D-FW Retail News
“Grocery development is driven by growth and people moving to Texas,” said Jack Weir, partner at Shop Cos. “Grocery is still convenience-based. … You’re finding, you know, most of the new grocery stores are in the high-growth markets.”
And even as some trends may slow in the future, grocery can still shine as a category to fill in spots that still need more fresh food choices, Weir said.
And the theme isn’t new. In January, Weitzman, a real estate company, called 2025 the “year of the grocer” for North Texas, after using the same title for 2024.
That’s not to say every part of Dallas-Fort Worth is seeing nothing but new stores. Dallas itself has seen fewer new additions. One site recently shut down in the western side of the city, leaving an underserved area with fewer places for locals to buy healthy food. Tom Thumb closed its doors in Allen and Plano amid other investments while Kroger closed stores even as it spends on more retail space elsewhere.
Still, the overall growth of the area continues to fuel expansion. Homebuilders are investing, and that points to more retailers in the future, Weir said. Put another way, from 2013 to 2023, the seven counties of Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Kaufman, Rockwall and Tarrant added more than a million new residents.
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Many more cities are set to see new grocery stores in the future, such as Denton, Forney and Mesquite. Here is a list that takes a look at some of the top players for roughly the past year and a half.
Frisco
While the law of large numbers has slowed its population growth, the city continues to be on the plus side, with 3.6% more people in 2024, as it moved toward a quarter of a million people. The municipality can boast some brand names as well. It’s home to the Cowboys, where the team is based, and it’s benefiting from developments such as a planned Universal Kids Resort.
In October, Walmart arrived in the northwest region of the city. And it was significant for the massive retailer, being the first new store to open in North Texas in more than half a decade. The site faces U.S. 380, near the intersection with FM 423, and covers about 200,000 square feet.Across the street, H-E-B put its namesake store there in August of last year. It was the second location for the Texas grocer in Frisco. The chain began its recent build-up across D-FW with the first store it opened in Frisco in September 2022.Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods are also adding stores in Frisco.Prosper
The city has been steadily expanding its population, ratcheting up nearly 6% in 2024. It stands at more than 44,000 and has been adding retailers beyond grocers, including Nordstrom Rack.
In August, the city got its first H-E-B, letting customers avoid the trip across busy U.S. 380 to the Frisco store. The site, positioned on the northern side of Prosper, sits at the intersection of Frontier Parkway and the Dallas North Tollway, near Prosper High School. It is also near the edge of Celina, drawing customers beyond Prosper. Costco planted a new store in Prosper early in 2025. The well-known warehouse club store is north of U.S. 380 and near the intersection with FM 1385 in the southwest area of the city. The store features fuel pumps and other amenities.Melissa
This city is further north of U.S. 380 and benefits from huge gains in population. Retailers have taken notice. Melissa grew more than 20% in one year, putting it over 20,000 residents. Melissa, which can boast of one of the limited number of Buc-ee’s in the region, is along U.S. Highway 75.
Walmart, just weeks after adding its first new store in years to D-FW in Frisco, opened in November in Melissa. The site is over 170,000 square feet and is at 1950 McKinney St.H-E-B opened a store in the city in May amid its new store launches in 2025. It covers about 136,000 square feet and is at 1230 Central Expressway. Kroger arrived in October 2024 at 2721 Sam Rayburn Highway. It was the company’s first new store built in North Texas since 2019.McKinney
This North Texas city has been ratcheting up its growth and its profile. It grew by more than 5% in 2024 and has more than 230,000 people, a similar size to Frisco. And local travelers may soon have another option for flight plans as the city of McKinney constructs a passenger terminal at its airport.
Whole Foods joined McKinney in August, adding a new store far to the north of the Plano locale that some locals had to travel to in the past. It’s located at 8701 W. University Drive. Sprouts Farmers Market opened a store in 2024, its second for the city. It’s at the southwest corner of U.S. 75 and Virginia Parkway.It’s also set to get a second Trader Joe’s at 8101 Eldorado Parkway.
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