Aldi Opens Store in Valley as Part of Regional Expansion

German discount grocer Aldi opened a new supermarket at 14626 Roscoe Blvd. in Panorama City this month as part of an expansion campaign throughout Southern California. Since opening April 11, the market has drawn customers with its vegan and gluten-free products and organic produce. A novelty hit has been the shopping cart system, which requires patrons insert a quarter into a cart’s handle to unlock it. The quarter is returned when the cart is put back in the collection area. The Panorama store is the first of 15 Aldi openings planned for 2019 in Southern California. It is Aldi’s 64th supermarket in California, a number that will swell to 78 by 2020. With this growth, Aldi plans to hire 450 new employees in the region. Aldi’s expansion in Southern California is a microcosm of its expansion nationwide — the company plans to spend $3.4 billion to open more than 700 U.S. stores and hire 25,000 employees in markets, warehouses and offices by 2022. Aldi has existing supermarkets in the Valley markets of Santa Clarita, Lancaster and Simi Valley. Locations of the futures stores are undisclosed.