Frontline workers at supermarket chain Aldi will get higher wages from February 2022.
The German discounter, said the increase, which will coincide with 15 new store openings, will impact 28,000 store workers.
Shop floor assistants will get at least £10.10 an hour nationally and those within the M25 will be paid £11.55.
The chain currently pays staff £9.55 an hour - or £11.07 in London.
The company added that it offers paid breaks, which for the average store employee is worth £750 annually.
Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, today said: “We want to ensure our colleagues are always fully rewarded for their amazing work.
“These new rates, together with the fact that we are the only supermarket to pay colleagues for breaks taken during their shifts, means we continue to offer the best pay in the supermarket sector.”
Aldi’s rival, Lidl GB, last month said entry level pay from March 2022 will rise to £11.30 an hour from £10.85 within the M25, and to £10.10 from £9.50 outside of the capital.
Longer-serving staff will see their pay rates also rise to £11.40 and £12.25 outside and inside London respectively, depending on length of service.
The announcement affects 21,000 Lidl staff members and is around 60p an hour more than the National Living Wage.
It follows a £200 bonus to all frontline workers this year, alongside £150 gift vouchers for all staff in 2020 during the pandemic.
“At Lidl, our frontline colleagues are the backbone of our business,” Lidl chief executive, Christian Härtnagel said.
“They have worked tirelessly over the past 18 months of the Covid-19 crisis and are integral to our future success."
In June, Lidl announced plans to open dozens of new stores as part of an expansion drive that would also pave the way for 2,000 extra jobs.
It said £1.3bn will be invested into the project, which includes opening 50 new stores over the next 12 months.
