Aldi has maintained its position as the UK’s highest-paying supermarket after increasing hourly pay rates for store colleagues.
All store colleagues at the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket will earn a minimum hourly rate of £9.40 nationally and £10.90 inside the M25, effective from 1st February. They previously earned a minimum of £9.10 and £10.55 per hour respectively.
The national rate rises to £10.41 per hour for colleagues with three-years’ service, while colleagues in London with two years’ service will earn £11.15 per hour.
Aldi’s new rates exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended real living wage rates of £9.30 per hour nationally and £10.75 per hour inside the M25.
The value of this pay increase is boosted by the fact that Aldi is one of the few supermarkets to still pay colleagues for breaks taken during their shift.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer for Aldi UK, said: “The dedication and commitment our store colleagues deliver every day when serving our customers underpins our success. We have the most efficient and productive workforce, and this is why they earn the highest rates of pay in the grocery sector.”
Aldi, which currently has 874 stores, is recruiting for over 3,800 store-level positions this year and remains on track to achieve its long-term target of 1,200 UK stores by 2025.
Giles Hurley added: “We want to recruit the best people in retail, invest in their training and provide them with the opportunity to develop their careers with Aldi as our business grows.”
The supermarket’s current share of the UK grocery market is 7.8%*, having increased by 0.4% during the last 12 months.
