Wilko has increased its entry level hourly rate to £10, 50p above the national living wage.

The pay increase comes after a successful national ballot of team members by the GMB trade union.

The retailer has also committed to an additional market forces temporary payment of 50p per hour for logistics team members. It is to support recruitment and retention from now until the end of March 2023, its busiest trading period.

Wilko has more than 400 UK stores, including branches in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Stroud.

It is also temporarily increasing team member discount to 30 per cent until the end of January to help support colleagues during the cost-of-living crisis.

Jerome Saint-Marc, CEO of Wilko, said: "We heard loud and clear from team members and from the GMB, that they are worried about the cost-of-living increase, particularly for anybody on entry level hourly rates.

"Despite the pressures on retail at the moment, we are really pleased to be able to further invest in our team members to help them through this

"Our goal remains to grow by helping hard-working families with their everyday household and garden jobs. This approach is made possible only through the continued long-term commitment of our family ownership which enables us to make the right decisions for wilko's continued success."