Marsh Supermarkets Inc. plans to close three central Indiana stores—one each in Greenwood, Anderson and Martinsville, the Fishers-based grocery chain confirmed Tuesday afternoon.

Marsh plans to shut down the Greenwood store on U.S. 31 near Smith Valley Road; in Anderson at 831 E. 53rd St.; and in Martinsville at 285 Morton Ave.

The decision to close the stores was made after a “careful analysis” of the company’s operations, Marsh spokeswoman Connie Gardner said in an e-mail to IBJ

Gardner did not say when the stores would close and did not respond to a follow-up question regarding the timing.

The closures will leave only two Marsh stores remaining in Anderson, only one in Greenwood and none in Martinsville.

“We believe it is prudent for all good companies to continually review and evaluate their assets, processes and business plans,” Gardner said in the e-mailed statement. “In the world of retailing, competition moves in and out of our marketing areas, populations shift, retail centers grow and decline.”

While the decision to close a store is never easy, she said, “the Marsh management team is committed to improving operating results and strengthening the company’s position in our marketing areas.”

Marsh intends to grant as many employees as possible a severance package or give them the opportunity to transfer to another location, Gardner said.

Following the slated closures, Marsh will have 93 stores in Indiana and Ohio. About half of those are in the Indianapolis metropolitan area.

Marsh closed another store earlier this year and three others in 2011.

In April, Marsh shut a MainStreet Market in Wabash. Marsh operates 17 MainStreet Market stores in Indiana and nine in Ohio.

In 2011, Marsh closed a store in Rushville in January and others in Shelbyville and Connersville in February.

The company is without CEO right now after Joe Kelley resigned in May. Kelley, a veteran of New York-based Price Chopper Supermarkets who took the helm at Marsh in May 2011, left to become president of the New England division of Stop & Shop, a 375-store grocery chain owned by Dutch food giant Ahold.

Marsh named Chief Operating Officer Bill Holsworth, who joined the company in 2006, as its interim CEO.

Marsh is owned by Florida-based Sun Capital Partners.

