Aldi is to hand store workers their second pay rise this year.

The supermarket group said it will increase pay for its store assistants and deputy store managers from £12 an hour to £12.40 from June.

The announcement comes only weeks after it had lifted pay to £12 at the start of February.

Aldi claimed the move will make it the “UK’s best-paying supermarket” for shopfloor positions.

We are committed to never being beaten on pay by any other supermarket

The German supermarket’s UK business, which has more than 1,000 shops, said it will also increase the base pay of store workers within the M25 from £13.55 to £13.65.

Aldi said the increases will take its investment in pay to around £79 million this year.

The move comes after increases by rivals including Tesco, Asda and Marks & Spencer in recent weeks, ahead of the rise in the national minimum wage in April.

Giles Hurley, chief executive 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.”

Earlier this year, Aldi outlined plans to create around 5,500 jobs this year as part of its continued expansion across the UK.