Aldi announces major update for all its members of staff in 'supermarket first'

Aldi is set to become the first supermarket to pay store assistants at least £13 an hour.

The grocer has announced its latest pay increase for staff, which will come into effect from September 2025. London staff within the M25 will earn at least £14.33.

Based on their length of service, long-serving staff will see their pay rise to £13.93 nationally and £14.64 inside London. Aldi store assistants are currently paid a minimum of £12.75 an hour nationwide, and £14.05 an hour within the M25.

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The new minimum rate further exceeds the Real Living Wage of £12.60 an hour that was set by the Living Wage Foundation in October last year. The Real Living Wage is a voluntary pay for workers over the age of 18, whose employer is signed up to the Living Wage Foundation.

Aldi says it is also the only retailer to offer all colleagues paid breaks, which is worth approximately £1,385 a year for the average store colleague.

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer, Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “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.”

It comes after the supermarket published an updated list of priority locations across the UK where it wants to open new stores. Aldi has more than 1,050 stores and is working towards a long-term target of 1,500.

This latest expansion is part of a £650million investment this year. Each site should be able to accommodate a 20,000 sq ft store with around 100 parking spaces and ideally be near a main road with good visibility and access.

The supermarket is also on the lookout for sites to accommodate its Aldi Local store format in Central London in zones one and two, which typically have a minimum size of 5,000 sq ft of trading space, along with an additional 3,000 sq ft of ancillary space.

Ten new stores will open in summer including Caterham in Surrey, Sheffield in South Yorkshire, and Fulham Broadway in London.

Jonathan Neale, Managing Director of National Real Estate at Aldi UK, said: “At Aldi, our goal is to ensure everyone has access to high-quality food at unbeatable prices, and we’re committed to achieving that with our ambitious store opening plans.

“We’re targeting 40 new store openings in 2025, while many of our current stores will also be getting a refresh to enhance the customer experience, meaning we can consistently offer the best value for money to even more shoppers across the UK.”