Aldi’s 2019 plans, however, involve unveiling a further 70 stores for this yearIt is reported that Aldi is paying higher than average salaries to attract and retain the best graduates in a move to gain market share from its main competitors. With a basic salary of £40,000 rising to £70,000 plus a company car, graduates can enjoy city wages and excellent career prospects at the budget supermarket chain.
In considering career options, retail might not be the first choice that springs to mind for those leaving university. Indeed when thinking about remuneration packages, Aldi might not be the first company that comes to mind either.
However, the budget retailer is making a bold move by offering strong packages and good career prospects for talented individuals.
Recruits are fast-tracked through the company and can expect to become area managers by the end of the graduate programme. However it is not all plain sailing. The training is gruelling and hard work; by week 14 of the programme graduates are placed in their own store and are expected to manage, lead and inspire their teams effectively.
The workload is heavy, with fifty hour weeks being the norm and involves working on all shifts including weekends. One disgruntled graduate has openly complained on the website Glassdoor about the intense workload, the lack of a social life since starting and poor management.
Aldi doesn’t refute the fact that the programme is arduous. Its website gives examples of what is expected of recruits on the graduate programme and includes quotes from those on it explaining that it is tougher that they thought it would be. However, the pay-off can be worthwhile.
The company boasts of good career prospects and with 90 per cent of the firm’s 180 directors coming to the company straight from university, it is clear that those graduates who apply themselves really do have the opportunity to work their way to the top.
The company is clearly on the way up. It currently has 630 stores and plans to have 1,000 by 2022. Further, whilst other retailers are sticking to minimum wage, Aldi is committed to offering £8.40 to all its UK store workers; a move that is sure to make potential employees take a second look at the retailer in preference to other large supermarket chains.
With the company’s expansion plans and the objective of recruiting 150 area managers through the graduate programme this year, it seems that Aldi has a strong strategy for winning on the high street and becoming an even larger player in the UK grocery sector.
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