Lidl has announced a pay rise for 23,500 workers starting next week - making it the highest paying supermarket in the UK.
The budget supermarket will increase the hourly pay rate of all entry-level store and warehouse workers from £10.10 to £10.90 outside London.
For those working inside the M25, hourly pay will rise from £12 to £13.
In addition, the Nightshift Premium will also increase from £2 per hour to £3 per hour along with the Freezer Premium, which will increase from £1 per hour to £1.50 per hour.
Lidl says the pay increase will kick in on October 1 - and means a full time colleague will earn around £2,000 more a year.
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This is the second increase to pay rates that Lidl has introduced this year, with over £83.5 million invested into hourly pay across the past six years.
Ryan McDonnell, CEO, Lidl GB said: “We have introduced these rate increases to reflect the key role and tireless efforts of our incredible colleagues working in our 935 stores and 13 warehouses.
“The role that we as a discounter play in giving households access to good, affordable food cannot be underestimated, now more than ever.
“But the ongoing commitment and dedication of our colleagues in making it all possible for our customers cannot be underestimated either – our business simply would not run without them.”
In comparison, Aldi pays a minimum wage of £10.50 and £11.95 for those within the M25.
Tesco and Asda pay £10.10 an hour, while Morrisons and Marks and Spencer are both upping pay for staff to £10.20 an hour from October.
Sainsbury's is increasing hourly pay to £10.25, also next month.
All the supermarkets apart from Lidl pay below the Real Living Wage for entry-level workers.
Hourly Real Living Wage rates are rising today by £1, from £9.90 to £10.90 across the UK, and by 90p, from £11.05 to £11.95 in London.
The Real Living Wage is voluntary and is currently paid by more than 11,000 employers.
It based on what a full-time worker and their family needs to make ends meet, including costs of food, clothing and household bills.
