Managers and directors in retail and wholesale Pay Data UK — 2025

Managers and directors in retail and wholesale roles in the UK earn a median of £38,500 per year, equivalent to £18.61 per hour as of 2025. Pay increased 5.6% compared to the previous year. Regionally, pay ranges from £31,500 in North East to £42,500 in London. Pay has risen over the past 4 years. The ONS national median for this occupation is £38,447/yr (0% above our computed national average).

Labour Market

Employment figures from ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). Counts are estimates; suppressed cells (small samples) are excluded from totals.

Pay by Region

Annual pay for Managers and directors in retail and wholesale across UK regions. The bar shows the typical pay range (25th–75th percentile); the diamond marks the median.

Source: ONS ASHE. Based on broad UK regions (NUTS1).

How Pay Has Changed Over Time

Annual pay grew by +5.6% from 2024 to 2025.

National average (NUTS1 actuals) based on ONS ASHE April snapshot. Shaded band shows 25th–75th percentile range.

Year-on-Year Pay Change

Annual percentage change in median pay for Managers and directors in retail and wholesale.

Percentage change from the prior year's April figure.

About Managers and directors in retail and wholesale

Retail and wholesale managers and directors plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the operations of major retail and wholesale establishments in order to maximise business performance and meet financial goals.

Typical Tasks and Duties

• appoints staff, assigns tasks and monitors and reviews staff performance
• liaises with other staff to provide information about merchandise, special promotions etc. to customers
• ensures that adequate reserves of merchandise are held and that stock keeping is carried out efficiently
• ensures customer complaints and queries regarding sales and service are appropriately handled
• oversees the maintenance of financial and other records and controls security arrangements for the premises
• authorises payment for supplies received and decides on vending price, discount rates and credit terms
• examines quality of merchandise and ensures that effective use is made of advertising and display facilities

Entry Routes and Qualifications

Entry requirements vary from company to company. Entrants may possess GCSEs/S grades, A levels/H grades, GNVQs/GSVQs, a BTEC/SQA award, a degree or equivalent qualification. Entry is also possible through promotion after gaining sufficient experience. NVQs/SVQs in Retail Operations are available at level 4.

Related Occupations

Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.