Aldi is increasing the hourly pay rates for its store employees, a move it claims will maintain its position as the UK’s highest-paying supermarket and support its growth plans.
All store staff at the discounter will earn a minimum hourly rate of £9.40 nationally and £10.90 inside the M25, effective from 1 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 employees with three-years’ service, while workers in London with two years’ service will earn £11.15 per hour.
Aldi highlighted that its 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.
It also stressed that the value of the pay increase is boosted by the fact that it is now one of the few supermarkets to still pay staff for breaks taken during their shift. The major supermarket multiples have been moving away from paid breaks in recent years as part of cost cutting drives.
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, revealed that it would be recruiting for over 3,800 store-level positions this year to support its expansion towards achieving its long-term target of 1,200 stores in the UK by 2025.
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.”
NAM Implications:
- If you were in retail, where would you prefer to work?
- …while thinking about unpaid breaks elsewhere…
