Supermarket retailer Aldi has increased its minimum hourly rates of pay for 8,000 store assistants, paying a new wage of £9.10 an hour to UK-based staff, or £10.55 if employees are based at stores located inside the M25.
The pay increases, which will be effective from 1 February 2019, are a result of Aldi's sales in the UK and Ireland exceeding £12 billion in 2018.
Further pay rises are planned for the future as part of this strategy; after three years, national employees will go on to earn £10.41 an hour, while London-based staff will see their pay increased to £10.89 an hour.
Currently, Aldi store assistants in the UK earn £8.85 an hour, or £10.20 if they are based in London.
The new minimum rates of pay exceed or match the voluntary living wage rates recommended by the Living Wage Foundation, which stand at £9 an hour for UK employees or £10.55 an hour for those working in London.
Alongside the pay increases, Aldi has announced that it will also enhance its employer contribution to store assistants' workplace pension.
All of Aldi's 34,000 workforce, based across 800 UK stores, will see their pay and benefits package increase from 1 February 2019.
Giles Hurley, chief executive officer at Aldi UK, said: "Our store [employees] do a fantastic job every day, and the excellent service they provide to customers is a key reason why we are the UK's fastest growing supermarket.
"We're committed to being the best supermarket employer in Britain, and this means rewarding our [employees] for the excellent job they do with market-leading rates of pay and opportunities to progress their career at Aldi."
