Lidl has announced a change affecting thousands of UK employees. The German supermarket confirmed in March that it would be giving its staff members a pay rise, which has now come into force.
Staff members across UK Lidl stores will now earn £13.45 as an entry-level pay rate, with the hourly rate increasing to £14.45 with length of service.
The pay increase, which was introduced on March 1, marks the supermarket’s seventh pay rise in the space of three years. It is also part of the retailer’s £29 million investment in staff pay, benefiting both salaried and hourly-paid employees.
All 35,000 staff members have benefited from the pay rise, with those in London seeing their hourly wage rise from £14.35 to £14.80. There’s also the chance for a further increase to £15.30 with length of service.
Lidl, at the time of the announcement, claimed that its staff members are the only ones in the industry to benefit from the Real Living Wage nationwide and the London Living Wage.
Staff members also benefit from several other advantages, including doubled paternity leave from two weeks to four on full pay, and after five years in the role, employees will be entitled to eight weeks’ full pay.
Lidl GB chief people officer Stephanie Rogers said: “We’re delighted to offer these family leave enhancements for new parents.
“These improvements build on our extension of paid maternity leave and further demonstrate our ongoing commitment to providing competitive and meaningful benefits to our colleagues.”
Ms Rogers added: “We believe that a longer period of paid paternity leave is a vital step on our journey towards gender equality in the workplace.”
“By encouraging the taking of paternity leave, particularly by our more senior male colleagues, stretch and development opportunities will be opened up for others.”
The change makes Lidl one of the highest-paying supermarkets in the UK. Aldi currently pays its employees the highest as its entry-level pay had risen to £13.50 nationally and £14.88 inside the M25 from April 1, 2026, a month after its competitor’s pay rise.