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Lidl will lift its national entry\u2011level hourly rate to \u00a313 from 1 September 2025 and pay \u00a314.35 within the M25 \u2014 2p higher than Aldi \u2014 in the latest round of reciprocal pay rises as both discounters expand their UK store networks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Lidl has moved to match Aldi\u2019s headline pay increase for shopfloor staff while nudging ahead inside London, in what looks like the latest instalment of a low\u2011margin retailer pay war. According to reporting in The Grocer, Lidl will raise its national entry\u2011level hourly rate to \u00a313 from 1 September 2025 and to \u00a314.35 for colleagues working within the M25 \u2014 2p higher than Aldi\u2019s London rate announced earlier. Reuters likewise reported the change, noting the rise takes effect on 1 September and follows an Aldi announcement that store assistants would be paid at least \u00a313 nationwide from the same date. Aldi\u2019s own press centre framed its move as making it the first supermarket to pay a minimum of \u00a313 an hour. <\/p>\n
The fresh increases echo the pattern of reciprocal upratings between the two German discounters earlier this year. In March both retailers raised pay \u2014 leaving a national starting rate of \u00a312.75 and differing M25 rates \u2014 and then matched and edged each other again as the rises came into force. Lidl\u2019s corporate statements emphasise this is its fifth pay rise in two years and the company describes the September uplift as part of a sustained investment in colleagues. Lidl\u2019s public messaging attributes the increases to the pressures of growth and the need to recruit across an expanding store estate. <\/p>\n
Expansion plans from both chains help explain the underwriting of higher pay. Lidl has said it will open around 40 new stores in the current financial year and accelerate openings next year; Reuters and The Grocer report Lidl trades from roughly 980 stores. Aldi has outlined a more aggressive roll\u2011out, projecting roughly 30 new openings in 2025, recruiting some 1,600 store roles through the year and aiming to average a new store a week, according to Retail Gazette and Aldi\u2019s statements. Both groups continue to cite long\u2011term network targets of about 1,500 UK stores, a strategy that requires sustained recruitment and retention of shopfloor staff. <\/p>\n
There are small differences in how each company presents the cost of these rises. Lidl has described the September move as its fifth increase in two years and \u2014 in various statements \u2014 put its cumulative pay investment at figures of around \u00a354m last year and more than \u00a370m overall. Insider Media and Lidl\u2019s own press material put the total headline investment for recent rises in the tens of millions. Aldi\u2019s press release, meanwhile, set out its own length\u2011of\u2011service uplifts and highlighted a package of colleague benefits \u2014 including paid breaks \u2014 which it values at roughly \u00a31,385 a year for a store colleague. The companies\u2019 differing ways of calculating and presenting investment mean headline totals are not directly comparable without the underlying accountancy detail. <\/p>\n
Both discounters continue to pay progressively more with length of service. Lidl has said that, from 1 September, entry\u2011level pay will rise to \u00a313.95 after three years\u2019 service nationwide and to \u00a314.65 after two years\u2019 service within the M25. Aldi\u2019s published banding shows similar progression, with its post\u2011service rates closely aligned to Lidl\u2019s increases. The two chains therefore not only match on headline starter pay nationally but also offer structured pay premiums that push experienced shop assistants above the starting point. <\/p>\n
The moves come against a backdrop of wider labour market scrutiny. Reuters noted the Bank of England is watching wage settlements as they feed through the economy; Britain\u2019s national living wage for over\u201123s stood below these offers at \u00a312.21 an hour, according to recent reporting. In sector terms, Aldi and Lidl remain at \u2014 or close to \u2014 the top of the supermarket pay table, a positioning they present as a strategic advantage for staff recruitment and retention as they expand. <\/p>\n
Both retailers framed the increases as recognition of colleagues\u2019 contribution. \u201cOver the last two years, we\u2019ve held our spot as the fastest\u2011growing bricks\u2011and\u2011mortar supermarket,\u201d Lidl GB chief people officer Stephanie Rogers said in Lidl\u2019s announcement, adding that the success was \u201cmade possible because of the ongoing efforts of our colleagues\u201d and that the business was \u201cmarket\u2011leading on pay.\u201d Aldi chief executive Giles Hurley, in Aldi\u2019s press materials, also thanked colleagues and reiterated the company\u2019s commitment to pay and colleague benefits as it grows its estate. Whether the uplifts will trigger a further round of matching or small increments remains a live question; for now, the two discounters\u2019 competitive expansion plans and need to staff new stores looks set to keep pay under close scrutiny from rivals, regulators and the Bank of England. <\/p>\n