With the aim of helping employees with the cost of living crisis, the £1m bonus is in addition to existing annual performance and Christmas bonuses and is targeted towards those earning less than £35,000.

Family-owned Gap Group said this was the first time such payments had been made in the firm’s history. Douglas Anderson, joint managing director with brother Iain Anderson, told The Times: “Mortgage and energy costs are going through the roof and I felt we should do something.

“We have had a good year so we are giving 83 per cent of our workforce two extra bonuses to help with the cost of living. We are targeting anyone paid less than £35,000.

“They have just got £250 and they are getting another £250 in January. They will get a Christmas bonus [and a performance bonus] as well. None of our plc competitors are doing that because they have to keep their shareholders happy. We are the shareholders.”

In its latest financials, Gap Group revealed a pre-tax profit of £23.5m and revenues of £196.5m for the year ended March 2021.