Aldi to pay employees £8.40 per hour

Discount retailer Aldi has become the latest supermarket to introduce an increase in staff wages.

The German-owned group has announced it will raise its hourly rate of pay to £8.40 from £8.15, adding wages for its London-based staff will rise to £9.45.

The news comes after sector peer Lidl and Morrisons announced they will pay their employees at least £8.20 and ahead of the introduction of the National Living Wage, which will see workers aged 25 or over receive at least £7.20 per hour from April onward.

"Their bold move demonstrates that paying the Living Wage in retail is achievable, despite other major supermarket chains telling campaigners that higher wages for the lowest paid are simply not possible,” said Sarah Vero, director of the Living Wage Foundation.

"The economic climate has shifted. It's time for business to recognise we need a recovery for all."

Aldi, which earlier this month opened its 600th UK store in Cardiff, has unveiled ambitious plans to recruit and train over 600 apprentices over an 18-month period from January as it looks to reach 1,000 stores countrywide by 2022.

"The success of Aldi in the UK and Ireland has been driven by the commitment, hard work and ambition of our employees and we will continue to maintain our leading position on pay," said Aldi UK and Ireland chief executive Matthew Barnes.