ORONO – A University of Maine study will look for ways to preserve small and independent grocery stores, whose numbers have plummeted in an age of increasingly larger supermarkets.

“Small and independent grocery stores are struggling, and in this study, we’ll be looking at factors that could help them develop a niche,” said study leader Gregory White of UMaine’s Resource Economics and Policy Department.

Grocery store sales nationally have risen about 30 percent during the past decade, while the numbers of independent and small stores have decreased by 17 percent and 35 percent respectively, White said.

The study, which is being financed by a $530,873 grant from the U.S. Agriculture Department, will collect information about consumer preferences and develop new networks that could benefit the small stores.

Small, independent stores are often located in down towns of rural areas, said White. When they go out of business, local residents must drive farther to buy groceries, creating a hardship for those who lack transportation or money.

Closing of “mom and pop” grocery stores also decreases activity in other businesses, eroding the economic vitality of small towns and rural areas.

During the four-year project, researchers will conduct surveys in 10 communities to find out why consumers shop where they do.

“For example, how important is it to have an ATM in the store, or checkout scanners?” said White. “We want to know if consumers really value those services.”

In addition, retailers will be trained in new business and marketing skills, and researchers will explore the potential for small stores to provide new products.

Retailers could, for example, develop a niche by providing locally grown, organic or natural foods, White said.

The project will be conducted in Maine, but researchers expect to apply the results throughout the country.