The Market at Pebble Hills has three of 11 retail spaces reserved for a nail salon, hair salon, and postal store, and is talking to restaurants and national retail franchises to fill the other spaces, Frank said.

More: Businesses see better days as El Paso economy rebounds from COVID-19 pandemic

Albertsons last had a store built in El Paso almost 20 years ago at 3100 N. Mesa St., near the University of Texas at El Paso, on the West Side.

The Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Companies is one of the largest supermarket operators in the nation, with 20 supermarket brands. The Albertsons brand has 394 stores in 14 states.

Grocery stores have seen strong sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Albertsons Companies had sales of almost $54 billion in the 40-week period ending Dec. 5, 2020 — an increase of 14.7% compared to the same period in 2019, its latest financial report shows.

The new Albertsons features a Starbucks, a designer floral department, and a pharmacy with a drive-up window, according to a company news release.

The store employs 130 people, and Albertsons had no trouble filling the jobs, Nancy Keane, an Albertsons spokeswoman, said in an email.

The store director is Ozzie Carrillo, a Del Valle High School graduate who’s worked for Albertsons 27 years. He previously was store director of the Albertsons at 5630 N. Desert Blvd., and Redd Road, in far West El Paso.

As part of its grand-opening, the Albertsons Companies Foundation is donating $214,000 to several El Paso nonprofit organizations, including grants of $2,000 each to six East Side schools.

Vic Kolenc may be reached at 546-6421; vkolenc@elpasotimes.com; @vickolenc on Twitter.