There will not be a “going out of business” sale for a Shop ’n Save on Perry Highway in Ross.

When the grocery store in Pines Plaza closes April 4, its inventory will be sent to owner Mike Mihelic’s other stores on Rochester Road in Ross and Butler Street in Shaler, Manager Bob Snyder said.

The 33 employees of the Pines Plaza store have been offered jobs at the other locations, with about half accepting the offer, he said.

“The grocery business is really going downhill in the last year,” Snyder said. “There’s more and more competition moving into the area. There’s going to be two other big stores coming into Cranberry — Wegmans and Meijer. The store’s small and it just wasn’t doing the business that it should.”

Cranberry supervisors in December approved plans for Henderson Crossing, a mixed-use development anchored by a Meijer grocery store. The supercenter will be 159,000 square feet.

Wegmans is eyeing late 2027 for opening its Cranberry location. That store will be 115,000 square feet.

The Pines Plaza Shop ’n Save is only a fraction of either size, between 18,000 and 20,000 square feet, Snyder said.

Some customers of the store, such as Carlene DeBee, were not aware that it would be closing, while others, such as Carole Chisholm, did know.

But it was sad news either way.

DeBee said she shops the store once or twice a month.

“It’s a shame. It’s convenient,” she said. “They cater to the older population.”

Chisholm expressed concern for older residents of a nearby apartment building that may rely on the store for food. She’s been shopping there for 40 years.

“It’s a nice little store. I hate to see it go,” she said. “It’s a quick stop on the way home.”

Snyder said Mihelic is hopeful that closing Pines Plaza will help the Rochester Road location, where they expect a lot of its business will go. Mihelic’s father, Don Mihelic, founded the store. Don Mihelic died in July 2014.

Grocery stores, Snyder said, operate on a thin profit margin — 2% means you’re doing pretty good. Inflation the last few years means dollars don’t go as far. And while chains like Aldi and Walmart are holding steady or growing, everyone else is stagnant.

“The whole industry is down,” he said.

Mihelic wants to thank his customers for supporting him over the years, Snyder said.

“A lot of the customers are coming in and saying how sad it is. The employees are hugging and crying in the aisles,” he said. “It’s the nature of the business today.”