Supermarket giant Aldi is planning to hire 3,500 workers in the run-up to the busy festive season.

Jobs on offer include permanent roles in stores to replenish stocks and help customers, as well as managers and cleaners.

Aldi said starting pay for its store assistants remains the best in the industry at £12.40 an hour nationally, and £13.65 an hour inside the M25.

Aldi said it is also the only UK supermarket to offer paid breaks, which it estimated is worth more than £900 a year for the average store worker.

Kelly Stokes, recruitment director at Aldi UK, said: “Our mission is to make affordable, high-quality food accessible to everyone, and that is even more important at this time of year.

“Our colleagues are essential to ensuring Aldi shoppers have a great experience in store, and we’re once again closing our stores on Boxing Day to give them a well-deserved break as a thank you for their dedication.”

Aldi plans to open a further 17 stores before the end of the year.