A pay rise for Asda staff will make the retailer the UK's highest paying traditional supermarket.

Hourly pay for all store-based staff is set to rise from £11.11 to £12.04, an increase of 8.4%, as reported by Retail Gazette.

The pay rise, along with new benefits, has been accepted following a ballot by Usdaw union members.

Pay will initially increase from £11.11 to £11.44 on April 1 to meet National Minimum Wage requirements, followed by another rise to £12.04 on July 1 - an overall investment of £150m in staff pay this year.

Asda has also introduced The Care Concierge benefit, managed by Legal & General, which offers assistance in later-life care for loved ones, and guidance on buying homes and remortgaging from the Mortgage Advice Bureau.

These new benefits are available to all 150,000 staff free of charge.