Aldi to pay all store staff £11 an hour in UK supermarket first

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Aldi has become the first major UK supermarket chain to commit to paying all store staff across the country at least £11 per hour.

Aldi employee pushing trolleys outside store

The pay rise means Aldi is the best-paying grocer in the UK

The discounter said that starting pay for all store assistants will hit the new rate from January 1, 2023. Those working within the M25 will be paid an hourly rate of £12.45 from the turn of the year.

Both rates outstrip the markers set by the Living Wage Foundation and take Aldi’s investment in pay to £81m across the last 12 months alone.

Based on an employee’s length of service, pay will rise to £11.90 per hour nationally and £12.75 for those within the M25.

Around 26,000 Aldi staff will benefit from the latest pay increase, which hikes base pay 15% higher than it was a year ago and re-establishes Aldi as the best-paying grocer in the UK.

That crown had been snatched by its fierce rival Lidl earlier this year when it raised hourly pay rates to a minimum of £10.90 per hour outside London and £11.95 per hour within the M25.

Aldi UK and Ireland boss Giles Hurley said: “Just as we promise Aldi customers that we will always offer the lowest grocery prices in Britain, we are committed to being the highest-paying supermarket for our colleagues.

“We are incredibly proud of every single member of team Aldi and are pleased to become the first UK supermarket to pay a minimum of £11 per hour to all store assistants, exceeding the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended Real Living Wage.”

Value retailer Wilko also announced an increase in pay for frontline staff last week.

Wilko increased staff pay to £10 an hour, and committed to an additional market forces temporary payment of 50p per hour for logistics team members to support recruitment and retention until the end of March 2023.

Boss Jerome Saint-Marc said: “We heard loud and clear from team members and from the GMB, that they are worried about the cost-of-living increase, particularly for anybody on entry level hourly rates.

“Despite the pressures on retail at the moment, we are really pleased to be able to further invest in our team members to help them through this.

“Our goal remains to grow by helping hard-working families with their everyday household and garden jobs. This approach is made possible only through the continued long-term commitment of our family ownership which enables us to make the right decisions for wilko’s continued success.”