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The city of Dayton's efforts to keep existing businesses and help them expand focuses largely on high and living wage jobs in growth industries such as health care and technology.

The Kroger on Gettysburg Avenue that closed on Jan. 5 didn't fit that mold. Neither did the Meijer at 2744 Harshman Road. Meijer, on Wednesday, sent the city a fax that it planned to close the store.

City Manager Rashad Young said the notice was the first indication he received of the store's slumping sales.

"We certainly are not enthused that Meijer has decided to close in Dayton," Young said.

Tom Jackson, president and CEO of the Ohio Grocers Association, said it's unusual for a city to lose two major chain groceries in such a short time period.

"I can't put my finger on a trend. I'm not seeing it happening anywhere else," he said.

The big box store on Harshman sits on just more than 32 acres. Meijer did not reveal plans for sale or reuse of the building.

April Hays of Riverside has been a shopper at the Harshman store for about 10 years, sometimes making four daily trips.

The mother of five organized a meeting Friday with 30 neighbors to brainstorm ways to keep the 24-hour store near her home.

"Timing is crucial when you have five kids," Hays said. "I prefer Meijer to any other store."

Meijer has operated the store for 16 years and it has about 221 employees. Meijer Public Relations Director Frank J. Guglielmi said workers at the store will be offered positions at new or existing stores. That could include positions in a new Huber Heights store opening this spring.

Decisions by retail/commerical businesses are market driven, Gwen Eberly, the city's economic development manager, said.

"They make choices we have no input on. They're business decisions we can't control," she said.