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Aldi has announced plans to give its staff a pay rise ahead of an increase to the national minimum wage in April.

From March 1, starting pay for store assistants at the supermarket chain will increase by 33p from £13.02 to £13.35 an hour.

In April, the national minimum wage will rise by 50p from £12.21 to £12.71 per hour for eligible workers aged 21 and over, meaning thousands of Aldi staff will receive 64p more per hour.

Giles Hurley, chief executive of Aldi UK and Ireland, said its staff “are at the heart of everything we do”.

“Their hard work and dedication is what allows us to offer customers the quality, value and service they expect from Aldi.

“That’s why we’re making such a significant investment in our promise to never be beaten on pay for our colleagues.”

The UK’s fourth largest supermarket, which reported a £1.65 billion sales haul over Christmas, said it was investing £36 million in pay and benefits for its employees.

This includes an extension of maternity pay to 26 weeks at full pay, while store apprentices will see their hourly wage rise to £12.02.

The budget retailer employs more than 45,000 people in the UK across around 1,060 stores and last year gave its staff a similar hourly pay rise of 31p.

Aldi workers in London will receive slightly more, with the wages of those working at stores within the M25 set to increase by 36p from £14.35 to £14.71 per hour.

Based on the length of service, store assistants could see their pay jump to £14.30 nationally, and £15.03 in and around London.

The German multinational grocer is the only supermarket in the UK to offer paid breaks to all its in-store staff, a benefit it says is worth up to £1,470 a year.

It has also been plugging investment into accelerating its UK supermarket expansion, with 80 openings planned over the next two years.