Discount supermarket giant Aldi has announced it will be the first to introduce a new £13.35 rule from Sunday, March 1. The retailer has reviewed its hourly pay rules and is set to increase its staff salaries for store assistants from £13.02 an hour to £13.35 an hour from March.
It is the second time in a row the discount retail giant has upped its minimum pay per hour rule, having already uplifted the wage to £13.02 on September 1.
Last July, Aldi had announced it would increase pay to over £13 an hour from September and today confirmed it is increasing this again by another 33p an hour in order to ‘reinforce its pledge to never be beaten on pay’. The supermarket says it is leading the market on the minimum rate, which also increases to £14.66 with a length of service bonus. In London, the new rates are rising from £14.35 an hour to £14.71, increasing to £15.03 with length of service.
A spokesperson for Aldi said: “Thousands of Aldi colleagues are set to receive market-leading rates of pay as part of a £36 million investment in pay and benefits by the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket.
“From Sunday 1st March 2026, starting pay for store assistants will rise to £13.35 per hour nationally, and £14.71 per hour within the M25, rising to £14.30 per hour and £15.03 within the M25 based on length of service.
“Aldi is also increasing pay rates for store apprentices to £12.02 per hour outside the M25, and to £13.22 per hour inside the M25. These rates are significantly higher than the minimum wage for a first-year apprentice.”
Aldi says it is also the only retailer to offer all staff paid breaks, which is worth approximately £1,470 a year for the average store staff member.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Our colleagues are at the heart of everything we do. Their hard work and dedication is what allows us to offer customers the quality, value and service they expect from Aldi. That’s why we’re making such a significant investment in our promise to never be beaten on pay for our colleagues.”