Aldi has revealed its second pay rise of the year for in-store staff, reinforcing its pledge to “never to be beaten on pay”.
From Monday, September 1, over 28,000 Aldi hourly paid store colleagues across the UK will receive a bigger than expected pay rise as the supermarket strengthens its commitment to never be beaten in that sector.
In July, Aldi said it was boosting pay for Store Assistants from £12.75 an hour to £13.00 from 1st September, to become the first supermarket to offer that minimum rate.
It has now made a further increase of 2p to the minimum rate, taking it up to £13.02 an hour in order to maintain its position as sector leader. The rate increases to £13.95 with length of service.
In London, the new rates are climbing from £14.05 an hour to £14.35, increasing to £14.66 with length of service.
This marks the second pay increase for Aldi store colleagues this year and Aldi says it’s the only retailer to offer all colleagues paid breaks, which is worth approximately £1,425 a year for the average store colleague.
Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said in a statement: “Our colleagues are at the heart of our success, and we’re committed to ensuring they are fully rewarded for the outstanding work they do. Today’s higher than planned pay rise is part of our promise to never be beaten on pay.”
Aldi was beaten to second place in the cheapest supermarket comparisons this month, having been overtaken by Lidl by a few pence in the latest Which? comparisons.
German supermarket chain Lidl also recently boosted its hourly wages for employees from £12.75 to £13. The retailer confirmed the adjustment on Friday, August 15, with workers at the chain seeing the salary increase take effect from September 1.
Aldi’s wage hike now positions its store assistant earnings at 2p higher than its rival. According to Aldi, this salary boost will establish them as the sole supermarket offering this baseline rate.
Hurley had previously commented: “Our people are the driving force behind our success across the UK. This latest investment in pay is a reflection of their hard work and the incredible contribution they make every single day. We’re proud to remain the UK’s highest-paying supermarket and will continue to support our colleagues in every way we can.”
The discount chain has recently indicated it is seeking individuals with varying levels of expertise to occupy both complete and partial-time positions throughout the area.
The German firm has approximately 45,000 staff members working across its 1,020 UK outlets.
Aldi secured the title of Employer of the Year at The Grocer Gold Awards in July, with judges praising the retail behemoth for delivering competitive salaries and investment in staff development whilst demonstrating commitment to advancing diversity and inclusion.
Earlier this month, the supermarket chain disclosed the sites for several new branches set to launch this year. A total of 23 locations will receive fresh outlets, with the retailer announcing 10 destinations thus far.
These new store launches are part of Aldi’s £650m investment scheme for this year, which also includes the refurbishment of 35 existing supermarkets by the close of the year.
