The two competing Kroger stores across Michigan Avenue in Dearborn will soon be down to one.

The Kroger store located at 23000 Michigan Ave. will close May 18 for financial reasons, said Rachel Hurst, corporate affairs manager for the Kroger Co. of Michigan. The Kroger store at 23303 Michigan Ave., located inside the Westborn Mall shopping center, will remain open.

Kroger officials said employees will be offered jobs at other stores in the area.

The closure comes as Kroger announces it plans to invest $97 million in Michigan stores in 2019. According to a news release, the chain will be adding two new stores, remodeling 11 and adding three new fuel centers.

The new stores will be located in Warren and Sterling Heights, with the latter being built as a Kroger Marketplace, which will feature kitchenware, baby items, clothing and toys in addition to groceries.

Hurst said Kroger would never close a store unless it was because of financial instability, saying of the closing Dearborn location: “The store has been losing money for some time and we do have a store across the street we are looking to serve all our consumers at.”

The company will also bring Kroger Pickup to 20 Michigan locations, a program where customers can shop online for groceries and then pick up their items from a participating store.

For the rest of 2019, Kroger will continue its Zero Hunger Zero Waste plan, in which the chain is striving to end hunger in the communities it serves and eliminate waste by 2025.

“Kroger is among the largest employers in Michigan, with over 18,000 associates assisting customers in 120 stores,” Hurst said. “We feel honored to serve the people of southeast Michigan and to implement the Kroger Purpose to feed the human spirit through food, inspiration and uplift.”

Kroger employs about 18,000 people across Michigan.

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