Aldi Ups the Stakes in UK Supermarket Pay
Another pay rise is coming for Aldi staff, and it’s a big one. From September 2025, Aldi’s shop-floor workers right across the UK will see a bump in their base hourly rate to £13.00. For employees who’ve stuck with the company longer, that goes up to £13.93. If you’re clocking in at an Aldi within the M25 — the busy belt surrounding London — you’ll start at £14.33 per hour, with tenured colleagues reaching £14.64.
That’s not just a statement. It’s a bold move that puts Aldi ahead of its supermarket competitors, and well above the £12.60 set by the Living Wage Foundation for the Real Living Wage. Supermarket pay is in the spotlight as rising living costs pinch household budgets, and Aldi’s new rates are likely to make other retailers take notice. In a sector known for tight margins and fierce competition, Aldi is firing a warning shot: to get — and keep — good employees, you have to pay for them.
Pay Gaps, Paid Breaks, and an Expanding Empire
This rise isn’t coming out of nowhere. Aldi already made waves back in March 2025 when its national minimum wage went up to £12.75 and £14.05 within the M25. Now, just a few months later, the bar is rising again. For store colleagues, that means more in their pockets, but Aldi isn’t stopping there. Every employee gets paid breaks — a perk most supermarkets don’t offer. Those break payments can add between £1,370 and £1,385 a year to each worker’s pay slip, which isn’t pocket change for folks on the shop floor.
What’s driving these pay hikes? Aldi’s top boss, Giles Hurley, says it’s about recognising the “amazing contribution” staff make. But there’s strategy, too: Aldi is hardly shrinking. The supermarket giant has its eyes set on 1,000 new store jobs by 2026. Short term, ten new stores are opening their doors this summer, and another 30 older locations are getting a facelift. Aldi’s move is about more than good PR — it’s about attracting and holding onto the best people as the company stretches across the UK.
- Minimum pay from September 2025: £13.00 nationwide, £14.33 inside the M25
- Longer-serving staff: up to £13.93 (£14.64 within the M25)
- Paid breaks worth over £1,300 annually
- Second pay bump in 2025, after a March increase
- 1,000 new jobs planned by 2026
- Ten new store openings and 30 refurbishments this summer
With these pay hikes and new perks, Aldi stands out not just as a place to shop on a budget, but as the UK supermarket wages champion in Britain’s cutthroat grocery world.