ALDI is raising pay for its staff for the second time this year, extending its position as Cheshire’s best-paying supermarket.

Aldi Store Assistants and Deputy Store Managers in Cheshire are set to receive a pay rise of 40p an hour from June 1, as part of the supermarket’s announcement of its latest investment in its staff across the UK.

The investment marks the supermarket’s latest commitment to its workers, after becoming the first supermarket to pay Cheshire’s store and warehouse staff at least £12.00 an hour in February.

The new pay increases will see the hourly rate of Store Assistants and Deputy Store Managers in Cheshire rise from £12.00 to £12.40.

Aldi also remains the only supermarket to offer paid breaks, which for the average worker is worth more than £900 a year.

The latest increase takes Aldi’s investment in pay so far this year to £79m. The retailer is also planning to create 5,500 new jobs in the UK this year.

Giles Hurley, Chief Executive Officer of Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We firmly believe that our colleagues are the best in the business, so it is only right that they remain the best-paid and we are committed to never being beaten on pay by any other supermarket.

“Our Store Operations colleagues play an integral part in our ever-increasing popularity among shoppers and our continued investment in their pay is another way to thank them for the role they play in making Aldi what it is today.”

Aldi is the UK’s fourth-largest supermarket and has more than 1,000 stores, 11 regional distribution centres and 45,000 staff across Britain.