ALDI is increasing its pay for store colleagues in Cheshire from February next year.

The UK’s fifth-largest supermarket has stores across Cheshire East and West, including Leicester Street in Northwich, Dene Drive in Winsford, Brook Street in Knutsford and Manor Lane in Holmes Chapel – among others.

From February 1, Aldi will pay all store assistants at least £10.10 an hour nationally and £11.55 for those inside the M25.

Aldi remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store colleague is worth £750 annually.

Its new rates exceed the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended real living wage rates of £9.90 an hour nationally and £11.05 an hour inside the M25.

Giles Hurley, chief executive officer, Aldi UK and Ireland said: "The commitment and enthusiasm of our colleagues has driven our success over many years, particularly during the last 18 months.

"We want to ensure our colleagues are always fully rewarded for their amazing work.

"These new rates, together with the fact that we are the only supermarket to pay colleagues for breaks taken during their shifts, means we continue to offer the best pay in the supermarket sector."

Aldi now has more than 950 stores throughout the UK and recently pledged to invest £1.3 billion over the next two years (2022-2023).

To support this growth, Aldi is recruiting more than 2,000 store-level positions next year – including roles in Cheshire.

Visit aldirecruitment.co.uk.