25,000 Lidl store staff are to get a £200 bonus payment for their hard work during the pandemic.
The money will go to everyone from customer assistants and cleaners to warehouse staff at 800 shops and 13 distribution centres.
Lidl is also giving its 1,800 office-based colleagues, a one-off £100 payment to recognise their efforts in supporting the business, reports The Mirror.
Lidl GB chief executive Christian Härtnagel said: “Everyone in the food retail sector has been in the privileged position of being able to continue operating throughout this pandemic.
"However, it has been an extremely challenging period and our teams have done a phenomenal job in helping to keep the nation fed.
"I am incredibly proud of the dedication and commitment our colleagues have shown and continue to show and this payment is about recognising their unrelenting hard work and thanking each individual for the important part they’ve played in the year like no other.”
The £200 payment follows a £150 voucher issued to all colleagues last March.
Lidl has also said it will increase the wages of all colleagues on hourly rates from March 2021.
The new rates see entry-level wages rise to between £9.30 and £9.50 an hour outside the M25 and £10.75 and £10.85 within the M25.
B&M's 30,000 shop floor workers will also get an extra week's wages as a thank you for their efforts over the pandemic, boss Simon Arora, said.
Aldi gave its 30,000 store staff a new year pay rise - seeing rates rise to £9.55 an hour from February 1or £11.07 an hour inside the M25. It also gave workers a 10% bonus ahead of Christmas.
Morrisons also announced a new pay deal that it says will guarantee at least £10 an hour for all staff.
