Marks & Spencer (M&S) is increasing pay for UK retail colleagues by 6.4% from 1 April, in what chief executive Stuart Machin described as an “inflation-beating pay award”.

The high street retailer will invest more than £70m in the uplift, taking hourly pay for customer assistants to at least £13.41. The increase applies to around 55,000 UK store colleagues and translates to an additional £132 per month or £1,587 over the year compared with last year.

Meanwhile, minimum pay for customer assistants inside the M25 will also rise by 6.4%, reaching £14.74 per hour.

The move comes against an annual CPI rate of 3.0% in January 2026, according to the ONS, meaning the award is more than double the current rate of inflation.

M&S said it has invested more than £350m in colleague pay over the past four years, representing a 34% increase since it began its “reshape for growth” strategy.

Alongside base pay, the retailer highlighted its benefits package, including an uncapped 20% discount across M&S-branded food, fashion, home and beauty products, a Sharesave scheme and pension contributions of up to 12%.

“Our store colleagues are at the heart of our business, welcoming and serving our customers every day and it is important that we invest in them and their pay,” said Machin said.

“This is a good cost and I am pleased that we have been able to make this inflation beating pay award, alongside our leading package of benefits. This investment reflects the central role our people play as we reshape M&S for growth. As always I thank our colleagues for their continued hard work and commitment.”

The latest rise follows a series of pay investments by major supermarkets and general retailers ahead of April’s National Living Wage increase.

M&S’s pay rise will see it become the third-best paying UK supermarket nationally, just behind Lidl which pays its store colleagues £13.45 per hour, and the second best paying for supermarkets inside the M25, just shy of Aldi.

Last week, Aldi increased its pay again to the lead the sector with entry-level rates of £13.50 per hour nationally and £14.88 inside the M25.

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