Shock 2p pay twist at Aldi from today: are you one of 28,000 workers set for £13.02 and paid breaks?

Payday is changing again on the high street, and the numbers matter more than you think for supermarket staff.

Aldi has nudged its promised September rise by an extra 2p an hour, setting a new base of £13.02 for store colleagues across the UK, and keeping a narrow lead in a wage race that now shapes hiring, retention and even your checkout queue.

What the 2p rule means today

The “2p rule” kicks in immediately: Aldi’s previously announced £13.00 base rate becomes £13.02 per hour for store assistants. That fraction looks small, but it signals a strategy—stay ahead of rivals by any margin, however slender, and keep pressure on the rest of the sector.

The new base rate is £13.02 per hour UK-wide, with service-based progression up to £13.95 outside London.

In London, higher costs attract higher pay. The entry rate moves to £14.35 per hour, rising to £14.66 with length of service. Across the UK, more than 28,000 hourly paid Aldi store colleagues will see the change on their payslips from today.

Today’s headline rates at a glance

Why Aldi moved: the pay race with Lidl and others

Lidl’s rise to £13 an hour forced the issue. Aldi had already promised £13.00 from 1 September, then added 2p to maintain a lead. It’s the second jump this year for store colleagues and cements Aldi’s long-running strategy: recruit and keep staff by topping the hourly charts.

Rivals Asda and Morrisons trail these figures on headline base rates across much of the UK, although packages vary by region, role, and perks. The battleground now includes not just pay but also scheduling, overtime, and paid downtime.

Aldi says it remains the only major UK grocer offering paid breaks to all store colleagues, worth about £1,425 a year.

That last line matters. Most retailers treat breaks as unpaid. Aldi pays them. For many part-time and full-time colleagues, the value of paid breaks dwarfs tiny hourly gaps between chains.

Who benefits and by how much

The extra 2p alone won’t transform a budget. Its power lies in what it signals about pay policy and the wider package. Here’s what the change means in pounds and pence.

• Extra 2p per hour on a 37.5-hour week: about 75p per week; roughly £39 per year.
• Paid breaks (Aldi-only perk): around £1,425 per year for an average store colleague.
• Progression outside London: £13.02 to £13.95 can add about £2, – £35 per week, depending on hours.
• London weighting: £14.35 to £14.66 lifts weekly pay by roughly £12 on a 37.5-hour pattern.

For context, a 37.5-hour week at £13.02 equates to about £25,389 a year before overtime and premiums. At £13.95, that rises to roughly £27,203. In London, the £14.35 rate is about £27,983, rising to around £28,587 with service.

The 2p tweak is small; the total package—headline rate, progression, and paid breaks—does the heavy lifting.

What this means for shoppers

Staffing stability shapes the customer experience. Higher hourly rates can shorten hiring times, reduce churn and help keep checkouts fully staffed at peak hours. Colleagues who stay longer build speed and accuracy, which can trim queues and improve shelf availability.

Could prices move? Wage costs are one line on a food retailer’s ledger. Aldi trades on slim margins and aggressive buying. A 2p lead over a rival is unlikely to drive significant price shifts alone, but sustained pay rises across the sector can add pressure. The flipside: better retention can lower recruitment and training costs.

How it compares with the national picture

The National Living Wage for workers aged 21 and over sits below Aldi’s new entry rate, reinforcing the gap between statutory minimums and pay in a tight labour market. The Living Wage Foundation’s voluntary rates also inform the debate, but Aldi’s figures remain above legal minima and competitive against voluntary benchmarks.

This is the second uplift for Aldi store colleagues this year, which keeps momentum behind retail pay during a cost-of-living squeeze that still bites on rents, travel and food. By pinning its flag to a “never be beaten on pay” stance, Aldi sets expectations among staff—and creates headaches for rivals.

The London picture: weighting, travel and time

London rates reflect higher living costs, but commutes and housing continue to strain budgets. The difference between £14.35 and £14.66 per hour rewards tenure and encourages retention in the toughest labour market in the country. For many teams, predictable rotas, paid breaks and stable hours matter as much as headline pounds.

What to watch next

Two questions loom. First, will Lidl, Asda or Morrisons respond again before Christmas hiring ramps up? Second, does the 2p lead turn into a pattern—small, reactive nudges to stay marginally ahead on headline pay while leaning on paid breaks to widen the overall package?

Seasonal recruitment sits just weeks away. If rivals match the £13.02 rate or enhance perks, another round of micro-moves could follow. The more chains converge on hourly pay, the more policy shifts to scheduling, overtime premia, and training—areas where employees feel the difference day to day.

Useful examples and quick checks

Estimating your gains helps cut through the noise. Here are simple scenarios for today’s change.

• Part-time, 20 hours per week: the extra 2p adds about 40p per week; roughly £21 per year.
• Full-time, 30 hours per week: the extra 2p adds about 60p per week; roughly £31 per year.
• Full-time, 37.5 hours per week: the extra 2p adds about 75p per week; roughly £39 per year.

Now add paid breaks. If you previously had unpaid breaks elsewhere, moving to Aldi could recover around £1,425 per year, depending on hours. That’s equivalent to roughly £27 a week—far more than the 2p tweak, and a reminder to weigh total packages rather than headline rates alone.

Bottom line for workers

The 2p rule keeps Aldi fractionally in front on base pay after Lidl’s £13 move. The bigger win sits in the combination of progression, London weighting and paid breaks for every colleague. For staff, that mix can mean steadier pay, less time clock-watching, and a smoother path to higher rates with service.

For candidates comparing offers, run a yearly view. Multiply hourly pay by your realistic weekly hours, then add the cash value of paid breaks and any premia you will actually receive. Small hourly differences can fade once those extras land in your bank account.