Aldi has maintained its position as the UK's best paying supermarket by raising its starting pay for store assistants to a minimum of £11.40 per hour nationally.

The new starting rate, which is effective from 1st July 2023, is more than 13% higher than it was a year ago, representing an investment of more than £100 million in colleague pay in the last 12 months.

The new rates are higher than the Real Living Wage, set by the Living Wage Foundation, of £10.90 per hour nationally.

Aldi is also the only supermarket to pay for breaks, which for the average store colleague is worth an additional £927 annually.

This announcement follows a series of pay increases, including raising hourly rates for 7,000 warehouse colleagues across the UK.

Giles Hurley, chief executive officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: "We believe our colleagues are the best in the sector and we are committed to ensuring they are also the best paid.

"We are incredibly proud of every single member of Team Aldi and are pleased to become the first UK supermarket to pay a minimum of £11.40 per hour to all store assistants."

Aldi is set to create more than 6,000 new jobs this year, adding to the 4,500 permanent roles created last year.

The supermarket, which was named by consumer champion Which? as the UK's cheapest for 2022, has more than 40,000 colleagues and over 990 stores in the UK.