Lidl is investing £37m into staff pay, which will see 26,000 hourly-paid colleagues receive the “highest rates of pay” in the sector.
The discounter is increasing entry level rates for staff outside of the M25 from £11.40 to £12, rising to £13 with length of service, and those working within the ring road, from £12.85 to £13.55 and increasing to £13.85 over time.
Lidl claims the changes, effective 1 March, will see hourly pay “up to 17% higher” than the national minimum wage increase introduced in April.
Subscribe to Retail Gazette for free
Sign up here to get the latest news straight into your inbox each morning
The supermarket chain is also introducing a bank holiday premium of £2 per hour and will increase its nightshift premium to £3.50 per hour, whilst also extending the timeframe in which it is payable by one hour.
This marks the supermarket’s third salary increase in 12 months and brings total investment into pay to almost £60m.
Lidl GB chief executive Ryan McDonnell said: “Customers are switching to Lidl from every other supermarket, and it’s our colleagues’ commitment and performance that is making this happen.
“It’s only right, therefore, that we thank them for their incredible work and reward them for their efforts.
“Investing in our people is vital as we set our sights further on increasing our market share and bringing our high quality, great value products to even more households.”
Click here to sign up to Retail Gazette‘s free daily email newsletter
