Aldi announces pay rise and recruitment drive
Aldi has announced it will increase the hourly rate paid to in-store staff members and hire more than 3,800 employees this year as it pushes ahead with its UK expansion plans.
The budget supermarket said all employees will earn a minimum hourly rate of £9.40, a 30p per hour increase from the previous minimum wage of £9.10.
Within the M25, the hourly rate will rise from £10.55 to £10.90 from 1 February.
Employees with three years service will be paid £10.41 per hour across the UK, while members of staff within the Greater London area that have worked for the chain for two years will earn £11.15 per hour.
The new rates exceed the recommended living wage of £9.30 per hour nationally and £10.75 per hour within the boundaries of the M25.
The supermarket also announced that it is seeking to hire more than 3,800 in-store workers this year, and is on track to boost its 874 stores to 1,200 by 2025.
Aldi – and it’s rival budget grocer Lidl – has been stealing market share from the UK’s big four supermarkets in recent years.
Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrissons and Asda all lost market share over the festive period, while Aldi and Lidl took their highest ever combined Christmas market share of 13.7 per cent, the latest figures from Kantar showed.
Aldi UK chief executive Giles Hurley 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.”