Aldi announces pay rise of up to 70p an hour across 1,000 stores in £67m investment | Personal Finance | Finance

Aldi has announced new pay rates to guarantee all store and warehouse workers earn at least £12 an hour.

Minimum pay rates will increase by 40p an hour, and by 70p to £13.55 within the M25, with the increases taking effect from February.

The discount chain is the first supermarket to bring in such a policy. Aldi said it is investing £67million to increase employee wages.

The group said it is also the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store worker is worth more than £900 a year.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Just as we promise to provide the best value to our customers, we are also committed to being the highest-paying supermarket in the sector.

“We are incredibly proud of every single member of Team Aldi and this is a way of thanking them for all their hard work over the past year.

“We believe our colleagues are the best in the sector and they play a huge part in making Aldi what it is today.”

Aldi is the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket and has more than 1,000 stores, 11 regional distribution centres and 40,000 employees across Britain.