Lufkin-based Brookshire Brothers is turning up its growth pattern in the coming year. The 100% employee-owned regional grocer announces plans to open stores in four rural markets starting this fall in Grapeland, Texas. The announcement coincides with the company’s 95th birthday and its legacy of serving communities throughout Texas and western Louisiana. In making the announcement, COO John Alston says, “Each store will be tailored to meet the specific needs of the communities in which they are located. As a result of an outpouring of requests from the people of Grapeland, their store will be our first Express location to include a pharmacy. ‘Wellness Delivered’ is what our pharmacies are known for and we are excited to be able to provide solutions for health and wellness in northern Houston County.” Alston anticipates a late October grand opening in Grapeland.
Coming in quick succession will be a store in Wells, Texas, a new location in Valley Mills, Texas and another in Hudson, Texas. All Express formats feature convenient, easy to shop layouts, fresh meat and produce departments and delis that include full breakfast, hot lunch and dinner plates, rotisserie and Brookshire Brothers famous fried chicken. The Express stores will also include a wide selection of grocery, dairy, frozen, general merchandise and health and beauty products. The stores will provide employment to more than 130 people throughout the region and offer services in-store that include check cashing, Western Union money transfers, ATMs and money orders. Alston adds, “Each of these stores and its employee-owners will become an integral part of these communities by providing the exceptional customer experience Brookshire Brothers has been known for since its founding in 1921.”
As to the future of this regional grocer, Alston says, “We believe that our core competency of operating diverse formats ranging from traditional supermarket, convenience, and pharmacy to hybrids such as our Express banner and next generation supermarkets ideally positions us to fully capitalize on future growth opportunities in a variety of markets.”
Brookshire Brothers is employee-owned and community driven. Its assets include 110 retail outlets incorporating grocery stores, convenience stores, as well as free standing tobacco, pharmacy and petro locations. Its footprint stretches east to Lake Charles, Louisiana, west to Dublin, Texas, north to Whitesboro, Texas and south to Ganado, Texas. For more information about Brookshire Brothers and its family of brands please visit www.brookshirebrothers.com.