Supermarket giant Sainsbury's has confirmed a pay rise for thousands of frontline workers - with many to receive a 3% bonus on top.
From March, the hourly rate of pay for Sainsbury's and Argos store colleagues will increase to £9.50 - an extra 20p an hour.
Pay for workers in central London Zones one and two will rise from £9.90 to £10.10. It is understood that around 165,000 colleagues will benefit from the increase.
A third 'thank you' bonus will also be paid to colleagues working in supermarkets, logistics and customer Careline departments in May, the grocer told The Mirror.
The payment will be based on 3% of annual pay, so a full-time colleague will receive around £530 extra.
Sainsbury's said it expects to report at least £330million underlying profit before tax in the financial year to March 2021, a year on from the start of the Covid pandemic.
Clodagh Moriarty, retail and digital director at Sainsbury's said: "In the last 12 months our frontline colleagues have shown outstanding commitment to our customers.
"In recognition of everything they have achieved, we are giving them a pay rise, plus an additional one-off payment.
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"I feel so proud and humbled by the dedication our colleagues have shown day in, day out and would like to thank everyone for the part they have played in helping to feed the nation throughout an extraordinary year.”
All frontline colleagues and managers were awarded an additional 10% pay for the hours they worked between March 8 and April 5, 2020.
A second one-off payment worth 10% of four weeks' pay was made in November 2020.
In March 2020, Sainsbury's increased pay for store colleagues to £9.30 an hour and £9.90 an hour in London.
Across the UK, the minimum wage is set to rise in April as the new tax-year comes into force.
The National Living Wage will rise to £8.91 an hour, with this rate extended to those aged 23 and over for the first time.
This means 23 and 24-year-olds who are currently on £8.20 an hour will see their pay jump by 71p to £8.91.
The minimum wage - which applies to those aged 16 and over will also rise in April.
Bosses legally currently have to pay workers the following rates:
Aged 25 or over? £8.72 an hour
Aged 21-24? £8.20 an hour
Aged 18-20? £6.45 an hour
Aged 16-17? £4.55 an hour
Apprentice? £4.15 an hour
