North Huntingdon Township residents will have one less option for their grocery shopping because Norwin Sparkle Market will close in August. JOVIJO Inc., a corporation created by the Scozio Supermarket Group, informed the state Bureau of Workforce Investment this week of the store’s closing through a letter from the law firm of Cooper & Lepore of Carnegie, Allegheny County. In early 2003, the Scozio group converted the store in the Norwin Towne Square, near Route 30, from the Shop ‘n Save brand to Sparkle Market. One of nine markets the Scozio group operates in southwestern Pennsylvania, the store was an A&P Market before it took the Shop ‘n Save name, township officials said Thursday. Commissioners Richard Gray and Donald Austin said their wives frequently shop at Norwin Sparkle Market because it is a short drive from their homes. According to the letter from Cooper & Lepore, the store will close Aug. 20. “When she says, “I’m going to the store now,’ I don’t know where that’s going to be,” said Gray, who is vice president of the board of commissioners. Norwin Sparkle Market employs about 70 people, including five in management positions. Most of the other workers are classified as clerks who serve as cashiers or baggers, stock the shelves or work in the deli section. JOVIJO’s contract with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 23 expires Aug. 29, according to Cooper & Lepore. Ronald Lenhart, president of UFCW Local 23, was out of his office yesterday and was not available to comment on the store’s closing. The first job losses are projected to occur around July 10, according to Cooper & Lepore. Some employees have “bumping rights” based on seniority and other factors that will help them maintain employment at a Shop ‘n Save in the Norwin Hills Shopping Center or Scozio’s Bakery & Pastry Shoppes. Mark Scozio, president of the Scozio group, could not be reached for comment. The Scozio name has been associated with grocery stores in the region for more than three decades. Thomas Kerber, president of the board of commissioners and a local businessman, said he has had a very good business relationship with the Scozios since they began stocking Kerber Dairy products about a decade ago. Kerber said it was sad to learn about the closing of the Norwin Sparkle Market, but he’s confident the Scozios will “regroup and survive.” He was not as positive about the state of Norwin Towne Square. “I’m sure this is not going to help the (shopping) center, as a whole,” he said. The closing of Norwin Sparkle Market follows confirmation last month that Mark Scozio fired 16 employees from the Norwin Hills Shop ‘n Save. The employees allegedly had authorized substantial discounts on bills for themselves and for their family members and friends, costing the business an estimated $100,000 in two years. Township police officials were not available to discuss the progress of that investigation.

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