"Lidl becomes first supermarket to pay workers Living Wage", 24 Nov 2016

Lidl has announced it will adopt the new Living Wage Foundation rate in a pay boost for 5,500 of its workers, making it the first supermarket in Britain to do so this year. The German discounter employs 20,000 people in the UK, a quarter of whom will benefit from the new hourly rate of £8.45. This will increase to £9.75 starting from March next year. The announcement comes just a day after Chancellor Philip Hammond said the mandatory national living wage rate will increase to £7.50 an hour at the beginning of April next year – 10p less than was expected...Nan Gibson, Lidl board director, said: “We recognise the contribution of each and every colleague within the business ... So it fills me with pride that our colleagues are among the best paid in the supermarket sector, and it’s absolutely deserved for the commitment and value they bring to the company every day.”