// Sainsbury’s invests £205 million to increase staff pay
// The latest investment is on top of the £20 million Sainsbury’s invested in October
Sainsbury’s is increasing staff pay as it invests a total of £205 million to “recognise their extraordinary hard work”.
The grocer has increased colleague pay to at least £11 per hour. The latest investment is on top of the £20 million Sainsbury’s invested in October.
Both Sainsbury’s and Argos’ hourly staff pay will increase from £10.25 to £11.00 per hour and from £11.30 to £11.95 per hour in London.
Sainsbury’s is also bringing forward its annual pay increase by a month to February to ensure it can help staff with the rising costs of living.
The rise takes the pay for frontline, hourly paid colleagues to 10% in the last year and 38% over six years.
Sainsbury’s has also decided to extend free food during shifts for store and depot colleagues by a further six months due to the popularity of the initiative.
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Sainsbury’s is also introducing longer discounts at Argos for colleagues.
Staff will benefit from enhanced discounts at Sainsbury’s as part of their reward package.
All colleagues were given a 15% Sainsbury’s discount throughout December and extra discount at Argos on select days in the run-up to Christmas, as well as a £15 voucher to spend at Sainsbury’s and the introduction of Pay Advance with Salary Finance.
The additional colleague investment is being funded through Sainsbury’s Save to Invest programme, which focuses on making the business simpler and more efficient.
Sainsbury’s CEO, Simon Roberts said: “We are acutely aware of how tough things are for millions of households this winter and we know that particularly after Christmas, budgets will be tighter than ever.
“As well as doing all we can to keep prices low for customers, it’s our job to support our colleagues as they face rising costs. That’s why we are bringing forward the increase and committing a total of £205 million to increase pay to at least £11 per hour this year.
“We know that colleagues really appreciate having something to eat at work too, so we have also extended the provision of free food during shifts for an extra six months, as well as increasing colleague discount at Argos.
“This is a massive investment that reflects the real challenges our people are facing right now. I’m really pleased that the progress we are making against our strategy means that we can continue to prioritise investing in colleagues to reward them for the fantastic service they deliver every day.”
