The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Buoyant Aldi vows to increase staff pay
Aldi raked in more than £10 billion in sales last year for the first time as it saw record demand from festive shoppers.
The German supermarket said total UK sales were more than 15% higher during December compared to the same month in 2016.
This festive boost pushed Aldi’s total sales in the UK and Ireland during 2017 over the milestone barrier.
Aldi sold more than 6.8 million bottles of wine, champagne and prosecco during December and more than 100m packs of vegetables.
CEO Matthew Barnes said: “This was our busiest-ever Christmas as millions of festive shoppers switched to Aldi from more expensive food retailers.
“Although we saw strong growth across all categories, the performance of our premium Specially Selected range in particular surpassed all expectations.”
The grocery chain also announced it will pay all store assistants a minimum hourly rate of £8.85 nationally and £10.20 in London from February 1, which Aldi said makes it the UK’S “highest paying supermarket”.
Aldi also pledged to match the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended rates of £8.75 nationally and £10.20 in London for all of its employees from the same date.
The retailer, which has 762 stores in the UK, reiterated its long-term strategy to have a network of 1,000 by 2022.