There is a fresh twist in the battle for Britain’s supermarket workers.
Aldi has announced its second pay rise for store assistants since the start of the year, lifting hourly wages to £13.50 from April. In London, staff will receive £14.88. The increase comes just a month after a previous uplift scheduled for March, signalling an intensifying contest among the UK’s major grocers for frontline talent.
The retailer says 28,000 store assistants will benefit. It now claims to offer the highest entry-level pay of any supermarket in the UK, overtaking rival discounters and traditional high street names alike.
The move places Aldi ahead of Lidl, which confirmed earlier this month that its workers will earn £13.45 nationally and £14.80 in London from 1 March. Until this latest announcement, Lidl held the title of highest-paying supermarket outside the capital.
Meanwhile, Waitrose staff, including shop workers under the John Lewis Partnership, will see hourly pay rise to £13.25 nationally and £14.80 in London from 1 April. Sainsbury’s has set rates at £13.23 and £14.54 in London.
Against that backdrop, Aldi’s £13.50 national rate edges ahead of the pack.
How this compares to the minimum wage and Real Living Wage
The legal minimum wage is set to rise to £12.71 an hour in April 2026. Several supermarkets are therefore positioning themselves well above the statutory floor.
The current Real Living Wage, calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, stands at £13.45. Aldi’s new national rate surpasses that benchmark, while Lidl’s matches it.
For UK workers navigating a prolonged cost-of-living squeeze — with grocery prices having soared in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent energy shocks — these increases are significant. Own-brand goods, which dominate the shelves at Aldi and Lidl, now account for more than half of all grocery spending by value. Discounters have benefited from that shift in consumer behaviour, expanding market share as households seek value.
Expansion plans and pressure on jobs
Aldi says it plans to open 40 new UK stores this year, adding to a workforce that already numbers around 45,000. Growth on that scale demands recruitment and retention — and pay is the sharpest tool in that kit.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said every member of staff is “fundamental to our success” and argued the pay rise reflects the dedication of colleagues delivering value to customers.
But there is another side to the story. Some business leaders, including supermarket bosses, warn that repeated minimum wage increases create pressure on margins and may limit hiring — particularly for young people seeking their first role. The tension between higher hourly rates and job creation is likely to remain a live political and economic debate as April 2026 approaches.
Aldi also maintains it is the only major supermarket offering paid breaks to all staff — a detail that may matter as much as headline pay in a tight labour market.
What this means for UK retail workers
For supermarket employees, especially those on entry-level rates, the competition between major chains is delivering tangible benefits. Above-inflation pay rises are becoming the norm rather than the exception among leading grocers.
However, the broader retail landscape remains challenging. Rising operating costs, energy prices and supply chain volatility continue to test margins. If the cost base rises further, employers may look for productivity gains, automation or tighter staffing models.
For workers, the key questions are sustainability and progression. Many of these rates increase with length of service, offering some reward for loyalty. Yet as the statutory minimum rises again in 2026, the gap between entry-level and supervisory pay could narrow unless differential increases follow.
At The Workers Union, we continue to monitor pay developments across the retail sector, ensuring UK workers remain informed about wage trends, statutory rights and the practical implications of labour market changes.
