CASH-strapped university students struggling to cope with a mountain of debt from their degree courses may be thankful for Aldi, the supermarket chain, in more ways than one.

Not only can the German-owned retailer help with students’ weekly shopping bills — its 250 UK stores boast grocery prices that are up to a third lower than many of its rivals — but the company also has the distinction of paying the highest graduate starting salary of all the organisations featured in The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers.

Its package for university-leavers is worth more than £40,000 in the first year, and salaries rise to £53,000 on completion of the training period. This easily outstrips the best deals available from even the top investment banks, consultants and law firms, and is more than twice the average salary paid to university-leavers elsewhere in the retail sector.

Why then does a company famed for its budget approach to retailing pay its graduates so much? Shopping at Aldi means own-label goods only; no cheques or credit cards; paying for carrier bags; and stores that are operated with a minimum of staff. The clue to the high salary is in the job title. New graduates are hired to work as trainee area managers and within 12 months are expected to take responsibility for running up to six of the company’s UK stores.

The training is understandably demanding, beginning with several months in-store working as a store manager. This hands-on experience is designed to give recruits a thorough grounding in the company, its operations and approach to management. The second part of the training programme focuses on the role and considerable responsibilities of an area manager, including staff recruitment, planning and organisation of stores, and financial control.

Aldi is a decentralised organisation and successful area managers can progress to director level, reporting to a regional managing director or the group buying director.

What does it do? Aldi is an international retailer that sells very low-cost own-label grocery products from its 7,000 stores in Europe, the US and Australia.

What opportunities are there for graduates? The company recruits up to 100 trainee area managers each year. Choice of degree is not critical because the company is more interested in personality, strength of character and leadership potential.

Where are the jobs? Aldi operates stores across the UK and Ireland and there are usually vacancies available in most regions.


How much are new starters paid? A graduate starting salary of £37,000 plus a fully expensed Audi A4 company car.


What’s the competition for graduate positions like? Major retail groups such as Aldi typically receive 25-50 applications per graduate vacancy.



Martin Birchall is editor of The Times Top 100 Graduate Employers

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