Southern California’s supermarket industry continues to operate in a state of flux as established grocery chains close underperforming locations and newcomers move in.

And nowhere is that trend more evident than in Altadena.

Ralphs, one of the Southland’s largest grocery chains, is set to close its store at 2270 N. Lake Ave. in Altadena later this month. But an Aldi supermarket is preparing to move next door and an Elements Natural Foods market is expected to open less than a mile away in May.

The North Lake Avenue Ralphs has operated there for two decades but in recent years it’s been struggling, according to company spokeswoman Kendra Doyel.

“It has been significantly underperforming for years,” she said. “We tried several different things to help make that store more successful but it hasn’t worked out.”

Ralphs, a division of Kroger, has 194 locations, all of which are in California. The company hasn’t opened any new stores recently, Doyel said, but it has invested heavily in upgrading its existing locations.

“We’ve been remodeling to bring our entire fleet of stores into better condition,” she said. “But we’re also looking at new investments and growing where we can.”

The North Lake Avenue store is scheduled to close Jan. 27. It employs about 50 workers and all of them will be relocated to other neighboring Ralphs markets, according to Doyel

Rose Steinbacher said she’s shopped there for more than 18 years.

“This is in our backyard so we’re going to miss it,” she said. “My husband does most of our shopping here and I get the bigger items at Costco.”

Aldi is building a new store next to the Ralphs that is nearly complete, but the company hasn’t said when it plans to move in.

“No grand opening has been announced yet,” a company representative said via email on Monday. “As of December, 2016 Aldi opened 34 stores in just 10 months in Southern California including our most recent openings in Escondido, Long Beach and Santa Clarita. Our plan for aggressive growth in Southern California remains unchanged and we are looking to open more stores throughout the region in 2017.”

The German discount grocer already had nearly 1,500 stores in the U.S. before it entered the Southern California market early last year.

Private-label merchandise accounts for about 90 percent of Aldi’s offerings and the company is selling many of its products for far less than competing name brands at other stores.

Elements Natural Foods will be moving into a 7,000-square-foot space at 737 E. Altadena Dr. that previously housed an auto parts store.

“Our products are all organic or non-GMO (genetically modified),” said Suzy Gonzalez, who co-owns the business along with her husband Gilbert. “We work with small artisan businesses and local farmers to provide organic products that have no artificial colors.”

The couple launched their grocery company in 2014. They operate another location in West Covina and an additional store in Upland.

“The West Covina store has a market with a section call the Salad Box,” Gonzalez said. “That features all organic fresh salads and fresh juices and smoothies. The Upland location is a just a Salad Box, so it’s smaller.”

Gonzalez said Elements is designed to cater to shoppers who are health-conscious.

“It’s for people who are healthy and environmentally aware,” she said. “It’s for people who are looking for sustainable products and truly care about the health of their family and the health of our planet.”