Overview
- From 1 March 2026, starting pay for store assistants rises to £13.35 per hour nationwide and £14.71 inside the M25.
- Longer-serving store assistants will earn up to £14.30 nationally or £15.03 within the M25.
- Aldi is investing £36 million to fund the rises, increase store apprentice rates to £12.02 outside the M25 and £13.22 in London, and extend full maternity pay to 26 weeks.
- The uplift comes ahead of the 1 April increase in the national minimum wage to £12.71 for workers aged 21+, giving many Aldi staff a combined hourly gain of 64p.
- The retailer says it remains the only UK supermarket offering paid breaks worth about £1,470 a year, alongside ongoing growth plans that include around 80 new stores.