LIDL GB TO INCREASE HOURLY WAGES FOR 20,000 FRONT LINE COLLEAGUES ACROSS THE COUNTRY

• Entry-level wages will increase from £9.30 to £9.50 per hour outside of London and £10.75 to £10.85 within the M25
• The pay rise will directly benefit over 20,000 Lidl employees, representing over 80% of its workforce across Great Britain
• Equates to a commitment of an extra £8million to colleagues, as the discounter continues with store expansion plans and providing customers with great value products at Lidl prices

9th November 2020: Lidl GB has today announced plans to increase the wages of all colleagues on hourly rates.

The discounter will increase entry-level pay from £9.30 to £9.50 per hour outside of London and £10.75 to £10.85 within the M25, going up to £11.80, depending on location and length of service. The increase represents an £8million investment.  

As a result of the increase, Lidl employees will benefit from a minimum of 78p more than the current government national minimum wage of £8.72 per hour (for over 25s) outside of the M25 and £2.13 within the M25.

The move will directly benefit over 20,000 Lidl colleagues across the country, representing 80% of the workforce, and is the sixth year in a row that the grocer has increased hourly wages.

It forms part of the discounter’s wider plans to invest £1.3bn in Great Britain, in 2021 and 2022, alongside a 1,000 stores target by the end of 2023.

Christian Härtnagel, CEO at Lidl GB said: “It is only right that we increase the income for our colleagues who are the backbone of our business. This is about recognising their hard work and dedication in keeping the nation fed during a year like no other. They have served our customers through extremely challenging times and we will always be there to support them in return.”

The new wages will come into effect from the supermarket’s new financial year in March 2021, and align with the rates advocated by the Living Wage Foundation.

Since the start of the pandemic Lidl has continued to open new stores across the country with no one being put on the Government furlough scheme. Currently this month the supermarket has 700 vacancies.

-ENDS-

Notes to editors

About Lidl GB

Since establishing itself in Great Britain in 1994, Lidl has experienced continuous growth and today has over 25,000 employees, over 800 stores and 13 distribution centres in England, Scotland and Wales. As part of the Schwarz retail group, Lidl is one of Europe’s leading organisations in the food retail industry. With a presence in 32 countries around the world, the supermarket, which has more than 310,000 employees globally, currently operates approximately 11,200 stores and more than 200 warehouses and distribution centres in 29 countries globally. The family supermarket takes pride in providing its customers with the highest quality products at the lowest possible prices throughout Great Britain, from Kirkwall to the Isle of Wight. Social responsibility and sustainability are at the core of the company's daily operations, with the company placing a strong emphasis on its responsibility for people, society and the environment. Lidl GB is passionate about working with British producers and sources two thirds of its products from British suppliers.

The Schwarz Group (Kaufland, Lidl) has been Europe's largest food retailer since 2014 and generated a turnover of €104.3 billion in financial year 2018.

For more information about Lidl GB visit https://corporate.lidl.co.uk/