Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale: average salary and pay in the UK
Full-time shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale in the UK earned a median £36,304 in the year to 5 April 2025, according to the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE): £2,735 below the all-jobs median of £39,039.
What the figures show
That puts it 181st of 382, in the middle third of occupations.
Median full-time pay: women £17.98 an hour, men £16.88 an hour.
About 71% of the roughly 7,000 employee jobs are full-time.
Since 2021 it has risen 15.3%, from £574.00, slower than the 27.2% for all jobs.
The Annual Population Survey counts 76,800 people in this line of work, 17% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th percentile | – | £578.30 | £13.72 | – | – | £12.97 |
| 25th percentile | – | £617.70 | £14.43 | – | – | £13.08 |
| 30th percentile | £32,956* | £632.50 | £14.82 | – | £495.50* | £13.65 |
| 40th percentile | £35,097* | £682.00 | £15.91 | £32,114* | £606.50* | £14.78 |
| Median (50th percentile) | £36,304* | £711.10 | £17.54 | £35,083* | £661.90* | £15.44 |
| 60th percentile | £39,694* | £761.00* | £18.73* | £37,639* | £709.00* | £17.51* |
| 70th percentile | – | £817.90* | £19.91* | – | £788.70* | £18.82* |
| Mean | £40,096 | £791.00 | £19.60 | £35,456 | £670.20 | £19.07 |
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 | – | – | – | – | £574.00* | 7* |
| 2022 revised | – | £682.10* | £17.05* | – | – | 5* |
| 2023 revised | £28,267 | £596.40* | £14.12* | – | – | 5* |
| 2024 revised | £34,416* | £685.40 | £17.53 | £30,732* | £621.30 | 6* |
| 2025 provisional | £36,304* | £711.10 | £17.54 | £35,083* | £661.90* | 7* |
Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale by region
UK: 76,800 (± 10,700), April 2025 to March 2026. 11 of the 12 regions and nations have samples too small to publish.
| Region or nation | People in employment | 95% confidence interval |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 13,100* | ± 4,500 |
Annual Population Survey (Nomis)
What shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale do
Shopkeepers and proprietors in this unit group co-ordinate, direct and undertake the activities in the running of small, independent retail and wholesale establishments. (ONS SOC 2020, 7131)
Also covers: antiques dealer, fashion retailer, greengrocer, jeweller (retail trade), newsagent, shopkeeper, agricultural merchant, antiquarian bookseller, antique dealer, antique trader, art dealer, book dealer, builders' merchant, car dealer, car trader, cattle dealer, coal factor and coal merchant (92 titles in the ONS coding index).
- Defines the market position for the business, decides what to sell, forecasts demand and develops the brand image of the business
- Determines staffing, financial, material and other short- and long-term requirements
- Oversees staff training, rotas and the allocation of work
- Provides information about merchandise to staff and customers and ensures customer complaints are appropriately dealt with
- Ensures that adequate reserves of merchandise are held and orders new stock as required
- Maintains financial and other shop records and controls security arrangements for the premises
There are no formal academic entry requirements. A range of management and leadership courses in retail are available, in addition to NVQs/ SVQs in at levels 2, 3 and 4.
Related
Shopkeepers and sales supervisors (median £29,555) · Sales supervisors - 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