(Bloomberg) -- Lidl is raising wages for its UK staff to overtake Aldi and become the highest-paying supermarket in Britain.

Starting next month Lidl will pay employees £10.90 ($12.38) an hour outside London, up from £10.10, and £11.95 within the capital, up from £11.30 previously, the company said Thursday. That compares with its rival discounter Aldi which currently pays at least £10.50 an hour outside London and £11.95 within the capital. 

Lidl is investing £39.5 million to boost its rate of pay, lifting wages for the second time this year. Both budget grocers are gaining traction with shoppers who are buying own-brands and visiting cheaper stores in a bid to save on their weekly shop.

Sales at Lidl rose 20.9% in the past three months, the biggest increase for any UK supermarket, according to recent data from Kantar. Since opening in the UK in 1994 Lidl has grown to become the nation’s sixth-largest grocer with over 935 stores and 28,000 employees.

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