Sales supervisors - retail and wholesale: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time sales supervisors - retail and wholesale in the UK earned a median £29,172 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): 25% less than the £39,039 median for all full-time jobs.
What the figures show
It is in the lowest-paid third of the 382 occupations (91st from the bottom).
The middle half of full-time jobs paid between £25,530 and £35,425.
Median full-time pay: women £28,142 a year, men £30,620 a year.
About 68% of the roughly 99,000 employee jobs are full-time.
From £23,643 in 2021, the median is up 23.4%, close to the 25.0% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 152,900 people in this line of work, 13% of them in South East.
Pay distribution, 2025 provisional
| Gross pay | Full-time, annual | Full-time, weekly | Full-time, hourly | All, annual | All, weekly | All, hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | £22,386 | £473.90 | £12.75 | £13,139 | £265.30 | £12.48 |
| 20th percentile | £24,760 | £509.10 | £13.26 | £17,875 | £362.90 | £12.94 |
| 25th percentile | £25,530 | £520.50 | £13.42 | £19,093 | £394.70 | £13.21 |
| 30th percentile | £26,227 | £533.00 | £13.52 | £20,779 | £432.80 | £13.33 |
| 40th percentile | £27,680 | £552.30 | £13.97 | £24,207 | £495.60 | £13.64 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £29,172 | £579.80 | £14.51 | £26,112 | £529.60 | £14.09 |
| 60th percentile | £31,520 | £606.80 | £15.15 | £28,107 | £560.10 | £14.65 |
| 70th percentile | £33,416 | £648.20 | £16.16 | £31,202 | £599.10 | £15.43 |
| 75th percentile | £35,425 | £669.70 | £16.96 | £32,201 | £620.50 | £15.86 |
| 80th percentile | £36,979 | £695.40 | £17.56 | £33,951 | £654.00 | £16.72 |
| 90th percentile | – | £785.70* | £19.92* | £38,221* | £735.20 | £18.97 |
| Mean | £31,008 | £617.80 | £15.73 | £26,609 | £525.50 | £15.41 |
Pay since 2021
| ASHE year | Full-time, annual median | Full-time, weekly median | Full-time, hourly median | All, annual median | All, weekly median | Jobs (thousands, indicative) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 revised | £23,643 | £451.20 | £11.28 | £21,053 | £412.90 | 74 |
| 2022 revised | £22,845 | £475.40 | £11.49 | £21,037 | £431.40 | 69 |
| 2023 revised | £25,279 | £508.40 | £12.47 | £22,625 | £472.00 | 81 |
| 2024 revised | £26,596 | £537.50 | £13.32 | £23,676 | £484.00 | 93 |
| 2025 provisional | £29,172 | £579.80 | £14.51 | £26,112 | £529.60 | 99 |
Sales supervisors - retail and wholesale by region
UK: 152,900 (± 15,200), April 2025 to March 2026. 2 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 20,400* | ± 5,700 |
| North West | 17,100* | ± 5,000 |
| West Midlands | 16,900* | ± 5,400 |
| South West | 16,900* | ± 4,700 |
| East of England | 14,600* | ± 5,200 |
| Scotland | 12,300* | ± 4,000 |
| Yorkshire and the Humber | 12,000* | ± 4,000 |
| East Midlands | 11,500* | ± 4,500 |
| Wales | 8,600* | ± 2,600 |
| North East | 7,100* | ± 2,600 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What sales supervisors - retail and wholesale do
Sales supervisors oversee operations and directly supervise and coordinate the activities of sales and related workers in retail and wholesale establishments. (ONS SOC 2020, 7132)
Also covers: bakery manager (retail trade), check-out supervisor, section manager (retail trade), shop supervisor (retail trade), supervisor (retail, wholesale trade), team leader (retail trade), bakery manager, brand specialist, cash supervisor, checkout manager, checkout supervisor, clothing manager, concession manager, concessions manager, counter manager, counter supervisor, dairy foreman and deli controller (67 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Directly supervises and coordinates the activities of sales and related workers
- Establishes and monitors work schedules to meet sales and productivity targets
- Liaises with managers and other departments to resolve operational problems
- Determines or recommends staffing and other needs to meet sales and productivity targets
- Reports as required to managerial staff on departmental activities
No minimum academic qualifications are required although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades or A levels/H grades along with relevant work experience. Vocational qualifications in Retail Operations are available at levels 1 and 2, and apprenticeships may be available in some areas. Professional qualifications are relevant in some areas of selling and may be an advantage.
Related
Shopkeepers and sales supervisors (median £29,555) · Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale · Sales related occupations n.e.c. · salary percentile · UK average weekly earnings growth · Median
ASHE Table 14: 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 · coding index · notes · 15 October 2026