United Adding Second Express Store in Texas

LUBBOCK, Texas -- United Supermarkets, the 95-year-old supermarket chain based here, plans to expand its recently launched United Express fuel and convenience store concept with a second location as part its three-year plan for the Lubbock market.

The second United Express convenience store will debut at a new Market Street gourmet store site opening in the city. The Market Street location, United's third in Lubbock, will anchor a major redevelopment effort. The project is the latest venture announced by Lubbock-based Tao Development Group.

United's Market Street store will be comparable in size to the city's two other Market Street locations, but with innovations in design and service concepts. The new United Express fuel station and convenience store will be situated near the southwest corner of the same intersection at 19th Street and Quaker Avenue.

"This is the second phase of our three-year plan for Lubbock," said Robert Taylor, CEO of United Supermarkets LLC. "This does not impact our commitment to putting a full-size store on our 4th and Milwaukee property, but we do anticipate the store at 19th and Quaker will be built first."

United recently opened its first United Express fuel and convenience store on the southeast corner of 4th and Milwaukee, which it owns. The company's strategic plan includes construction of a United Supermarkets location at that site within three years.

The redevelopment project at 19th and Quaker is under the direction of Tao Development Group's CEO, Clayton Isom. Demolition of existing structures at the site -- including several apartment complexes -- is already underway. Two others businesses on the property that are still operational, 7-Eleven and Racer Classic Car Wash, will close by the end of the year, Isom said. A building previously occupied by The Frenchman Inn, which closed earlier this year, also will be demolished.

The redevelopment also includes 23,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space adjacent to United Express, plus a complete remodel of the property across the street, which previously housed Hollywood Video.

"Our company's first priority for this project was to finalize the major anchor, which is now complete. At this point, we are aggressively seeking two junior anchor restaurants for both corners of the 19th and Quaker intersection," Isom said.

"For many different reasons, Lubbock is a great place to live; we hope that this redevelopment will make it that much better," he added.

Now in its 95th year of operation, United Supermarkets LLC, is a Texas-based, family owned grocery chain with stores in 30 markets across north and west Texas. A self-distributing company with its headquarters in Lubbock and distribution centers in Lubbock and Roanoke, United currently operates 51 stores under four distinct formats: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos United and United Express.