NORTH KINGSTOWN — The North Kingstown and East Greenwich chambers of commerce are set to merge in an effort to cut costs and consolidate services.

The chambers have signed a letter of intent to join, and, if all goes well, will complete the merger by around March or April.

The decision to create a single chamber to represent the two communities came after a year of talks, according to Bob Hartman, chair of the East Greenwich chamber’s board of directors.

The East Greenwich chamber has been steadily losing members in recent years, resulting in lower revenues from dues.

“I think it’s the economic times,” said Hartman, owner of Back to Basics Natural Foods, a grocery store in East Greenwich. “Some people are closing. Some are leaving.”

The new chamber will have an office in North Kingstown and a staff of about five people, including an executive director who has yet to be hired.

“This agreement is driven by the opportunity to create and maintain the services members have come to expect and meet the economic challenges both chambers face,” Cathleen Studley, chair of the North Kingstown chamber’s board of directors, said in a statement.

akuffner@projo.com