Aldi raises hourly pay for second time this year

Aldi has raised its pay for store colleagues for the second time this year to the new national minimum rate of £12.40 an hour for store assistants and deputy store managers, taking the position as the highest level of entry pay ever to be paid by a British supermarket. 

This latest announcement comes after the supermarket became the first in the UK to pay all store and warehouse staff at least £12 an hour nationally, and £13.55 within the M25, in February. 

The new pay increases will see the hourly rate of store assistants and deputy store managers rise nationally from £12 to £12.40, and from £13.55 to £13.65 for those within the M25.

In addition, Aldi will remain the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store colleague is worth more than £900 a year.

The latest increase takes Aldi’s investment in pay so far this year to £79m, while it is also planning to create 5,500 new jobs in the UK this year.

Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK&I, said: “We firmly believe that our colleagues are the best in the business, so it is only right that they remain the best-paid and we are committed to never being beaten on pay by any other supermarket.

“Our store operations colleagues play an integral part in our ever-increasing popularity among shoppers and our continued investment in their pay is another way to thank them for the role they play in making Aldi what it is today.”