The Lunds & Byerlys grocery store on St. Paul’s East Side will close in early March, the company said Wednesday.

The store, at 1959 Suburban Avenue, has been open since 1971. But sales have been in decline and “it’s no longer viable for us,” said company spokesman Aaron Sorenson.

He said the store will close after business hours on March 6. Its 65 employees will be offered jobs at other Lunds & Byerlys stores in the metro, he said.

They were told of the closing Monday, Sorenson said.

The company is exploring options for what to do with the 48,000-square foot building, he said.