Supermarket chain Aldi has announced the creation of 1,600 new jobs this year as it opens more stores in the UK.

Rivals Tesco and Sainsbury’s have both recently announced they would reduce headcount, with Sainsbury’s citing an increased national insurance bill as one of the factors in its decision.

The discount retailer plans to open stores in locations including Cambridgeshire, Greater Manchester and Lytham in Lancashire.

In January, it announced that pay would increase for store assistants to at least £12.71 an hour nationally, and £14.00 an hour within the M25 – the highest in the sector, and above the national living wage, which will rise to £12.21 an hour in April.

Store assistant pay will rise to £13.62 and £14.23 an hour respectively based on length of service.

HR director Kelly Stokes said Aldi was “committed to creating rewarding careers and offering market-leading pay for all our store colleagues”.

Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland, added: “Our colleagues are the best in the business and this latest pay rise reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring they remain the best paid.

“Every single Aldi colleague plays an absolutely vital role in delivering on our promise to bring unbeatable Aldi prices to even more customers across the UK.”

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