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ALDI STORE COLLEAGUES IN ABERDEEN TO RECEIVE PAY RISE FROM SEPTEMBER 

Aldi is giving store colleagues in Aberdeen a pay increase for the second time this year, maintaining its position as the UK’s best-paying supermarket. 

From September, all hourly paid colleagues at its Aberdeen stores will receive an increase of 40p an hour on their current hourly rate, taking Aldi’s minimum pay rates for Store Assistants to a sector-leading £10.50 an hour nationally and £11.95 for those inside the M25. 

Aldi also remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average store colleague is now worth more than £830 a year. 

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

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “Our new rates of pay maintain Aldi’s position as the UK’s highest paying supermarket.  

“This announcement recognises the amazing contribution our colleagues make in serving the local communities in Aberdeen. Their outstanding efforts have ensured that our customers continue to have access to fresh affordable food, every single day.” 

Aldi is the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket and has more than 970 stores across Britain. 

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For any further information please contact aldipr@bigpartnership.co.uk.  

Jennifer Scott – Jennifer.scott@bigpartnership.co.uk – 07772 287 003  

Olivia Boyce-Phillips – olivia.boycephillips@bigpartnership.co.uk – 07710 096 390 

Aldi Scotland social channels:   

Instagram – @AldiScotland               

Facebook – @AldiScotland  

Notes to editors:  

About Aldi in Scotland  

In 2021, Aldi invested £36 million in six new stores, opening its 100^th Scottish store at Hermiston Gait in Edinburgh in November. Aldi recently unveiled plans to invest over £55 million from 2022-2023 as part of their ongoing commitment to Scotland, with a further nine stores planned to open.   

£24 million will be invested in Scotland in 2022 with three new Scottish Aldi stores set to open. The new stores, including two in Aberdeen at Countesswells Road and Hareness Road, and one at Greendykes Road in Broxburn will create an additional 150 jobs. This will take the total number of staff employed by the retailer to nearly 3,500 by the end of 2022.   

The retailer stocks some of the finest and best value locally sourced food and drink, with 25% of Aldi’s sales in Scotland generated by Scottish suppliers.    

Established in 2009, the Scottish Buying Department has enabled Aldi to tap into Scotland’s vibrant agricultural and manufacturing base and build strong and long-standing relationships. Aldi currently works with over 90 local suppliers, stocking 450 Scottish products and is constantly looking to bring more of what Scotland’s vibrant food and drink industry has to offer its customers.  

Aldi remains committed to its CSR programmes. The retailer’s Supermarket Sweep initiative will continue to offer support and funding to local foodbanks in 2022. The Scottish Sports Fund programme, which was launched in 2016 with hopes of making sport accessible across Scotland, will also continue. Through the fund, Aldi has donated £290,000 to over 500 local sports.  

About Aldi UK:  

Aldi is Britain’s fifth largest supermarket with over 960 stores and around 38,000 colleagues.  

Aldi is attracting hundreds of thousands of new customers every year with its range of exclusive brands, passing low operating costs on to customers in the form of low prices.  

The supermarket believes in making every day amazing and that’s why every single day Aldi delivers on the best possible value for millions of families throughout the UK and Ireland across everything from award-winning fresh produce to world class gin.  

Aldi won’t be beaten on price; consistently racks up award after award for quality; treats its suppliers with fairness and respect and recognises the responsibility of supporting valued institutions such as Team GB to demonstrate the importance of health and wellness.   

Aldi makes the everyday amazing. But amazing doesn’t happen overnight so that’s why Aldi is making changes to be better every single day, to be Fairer, Greener and Healthier for customers, society and the environment.   

That’s Aldi. That’s everyday amazing. The reason they do this? Because Aldi believes that everyone should have access to fresh, healthy, affordable food…it’s a right, not a privilege.  

The company’s current achievements and initiatives include:  

• Aldi has been named as the UK’s Cheapest Supermarket for 2021 by consumer champion, Which? and were also the only supermarket to receive Which? In Store Recommended Provider for February 2022.  

• According to The Grocer magazine, Aldi is the UK’s lowest-priced supermarket. A basket of 33 everyday items at the Big 4 supermarkets is on average 19% more expensive than at Aldi (18/03/2022).   
• Research released by Which? in May showed that for a basket of 22 essential items throughout April, Sainsbury’s was 15% more expensive than the same shop at Aldi. The same shop was also 16% more expensive at Tesco.   
• Aldi has a ten-year partnership with Teenage Cancer Trust – Aldi recently achieved its fundraising milestone of £6m ahead of its five-year target, which will go towards helping the trust to reach out to every young person with cancer in the UK. Aldi has also now committed to extending the TCT partnership for a further five years with a commitment to donate an additional £5m over this period.  
• Aldi’s rates of pay are significantly higher than the Government’s National Living Wage and also above the Living Wage Foundation’s recommended national rates. Store Assistants receive a minimum hourly rate of £10.10 nationally and £11.55 within the M25.    
• Aldi is the official supermarket partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB ensuring every member of the team has access to fresh healthy Aldi food via monthly shopping vouchers, with two million 5-14-year-olds already learning about the benefits of cooking fresh, healthy food via its Get Set to Eat Fresh education initiative. Aldi has been a partner since 2015 and has extended its commitment to 2025, including the 2022 Winter Olympic games in Beijing and 2024 Summer Olympic games in Paris.  

• Aldi has announced plans to increase the amount of food and drink it buys from British suppliers by £3.5bn a year by the end of 2025 as it continues its rapid expansion across the UK.  
• Aldi works with Community engagement platform Neighbourly to help combat hunger’s devastating effects, as it continues to fight against child food poverty as no child should ever go hungry.   
• Aldi is proud to accept Free School Meal vouchers in its stores for the purchase of food and groceries.   
• Aldi was ranked the best-performing supermarket for compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice for seven consecutive years, underlining its commitment to maintaining fair, predictable and sustainable prices within its supply chain.  
• Aldi was voted Britain’s Favourite Supermarket and Wine Retailer of the Year for the third consecutive time by readers of Good Housekeeping magazine, while its Specially Selected range was voted Favourite Premium Supermarket Range for the second year running.  

Full details of Aldi’s awards and achievements are detailed at www.aldi.co.uk/awards