Aldi will expand its Southern California presence on Thursday, April 11, with a new supermarket in Panorama City and more than a dozen new Southland locations planned.

The Panorama store will be the German discount grocer’s 64th market in California.

“We plan to open 15 stores in 2019, including Panorama City,” said Tom Cindel, head of operations and logistics for the company’s Moreno Valley division. “That will bring the total to 78. With this growth, we’ll be looking to hire 450 employees.”

The company has stores in communities such as Santa Clarita, Lancaster, Arcadia, Altadena, Whittier, Long Beach, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Buena Park and Anaheim.

But bigger things are ahead.

A broad expansion

Aldi currently operates more than 1,800 U.S. stores in 35 states, employing 32,300 workers. But a $3.4 billion investment will allow the supermarket chain to add another 25,000 employees in stores, warehouses and offices nationwide by 2022 — a move that will bump its total store count to 2,500.

“As the demand for Aldi grows, so do our real estate options,” Cindel said. “Bottom line, we want to be conveniently located for our shoppers.”

Cindel wouldn’t say where the new Southern California locations would be.

Aldi is increasing its fresh-food selection by 40 percent with more organic and easy-to-prepare options, many of which are under the company’s private label brands. Aldi markets, with stripped-down decor and fewer than five aisles, typically employ 15 to 20 employees.

The company has simplified operations by including a 25-cent grocery cart rental and requiring customers to bag their own groceries.

Aldi cashiers are paid a starting wage of $14.50 an hour and can earn a top wage of $21.25 an hour. Warehouse workers start at $19 an hour and can make up to $26.25 hourly. Managers earn anywhere from $60,000 to $90,000 a year. For more information on employment opportunities, visit careers.aldi.us.

Lots of competition

Southern California’s supermarket industry has grown increasingly crowded in recent years, and Aldi and Grocery Outlet Bargain Market are the region’s latest newcomers.

Their low prices have resonated with budget-conscious shoppers, but they still face plenty of competition from more firmly entrenched players such as Vons, Ralphs, Albertsons, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, Food 4 Less, Smart & Final, Stater Bros and Vallarta Supermarkets.

And that doesn’t include expanded grocery options at many Walmart, Target and 99 Cents Only stores.

Sprouts announced last week it will be opening 13 new stores this year, including locations in West Covina, West Hollywood and Lake Forest.

“The grocery industry has been competitive for the more than 40 years that we’ve been doing business in the U.S.,” Cindel said, adding that a recent “perfect storm” of price pressures, heightened competition and increased expectations from shoppers has upped the ante.

Mikey Vu, a partner with the management consultancy firm Bain & Co., figures traditional supermarkets will be able to hold their own against low-cost competitors — as long as they stay on their toes.

“What we’re seeing is that U.S. grocers can effectively stand up to these hard discounters but that they need to remain vigilant and innovate in strategic areas to keep their edge,” Vu said in a February interview with Supermarket News.

In case you go: A ribbon cutting for the Panorama City store will be held at 8 a.m. Thursday, followed by a gift card giveaway for the first 100 customers. Shoppers also will be able to sample Aldi-brand foods and enter a sweepstakes for a chance to win a year’s supply of ALDI produce.