Lidl invests £8m in third colleague pay rise this year

Lidl is increasing hourly pay rates from today, with 24,000 colleagues benefitting.

From today, store and warehouse colleagues outside the M25 will see hourly pay rise to £11.40 from £11, increasing to £12 with length of service.

Pay for those inside the M25 will increase to £12.85 from £11.95, jumping to £13.15.

This represents an overall investment of £8m and equates to a combined investment of over £60m into colleague pay over the past year.

Subscribe to Grocery Gazette for free

Sign up here to get the latest grocery and food news each morning

The discount grocer is also actively recruiting for roles across the country and is in direct contact with Wilko’s HR team to provide support with jobs following the retailer’s collapse last month.

Lidl GB CEO, Ryan McDonnell, said: “These rates of pay will ensure that Lidl maintains its position as the UK’s highest paying supermarket.

“Our people are at the core of everything we do, and this investment recognises the hard work and contribution they make in serving communities across the country every day.”

The rise brings Lidl’s rates of pay in line with rival discounter Aldi, which offers store assistants starting pay of £11.40 per hour, with those based in London receiving £12.85 per hour.

Aldi is also the only supermarket to pay for breaks, which can be worth up to £972 per year.

Aldi claimed its starting pay for store assistants was £11.40 per hour, with those based in London receiving £12.85 per hour.

It also said it was the only supermarket to pay for breaks, which could be worth up to £972 per year.

The pay rise follows Lidl’s introduction of new colleague benefits earlier this year, including life assurance and optional health and dental insurance schemes.