Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale roles in the UK earn a median of £37,000 per year, equivalent to £17.53 per hour as of 2025. Pay increased 14.3% compared to the previous year. Regionally, pay ranges from £32,500 in Scotland to £42,500 in London. Pay has remained broadly stable over the past 4 years. The ONS national median for this occupation is £36,304/yr (2% above our computed national average).
Median Annual Pay
£37,000
as of 2025
High confidenceMedian Hourly Pay
£17.53
per hour
Year-on-Year Change
+14.3%
vs 2024
Annual Pay Range
£32,500 – £43,000
25th – 75th percentile
UK Employment (2024)
~9,000
estimated employees
16 of 180 areas not disclosed by ONS
Employment Change
2021–2024
2021: ~22,000 → 2024: ~9,000
Market Signal
Contracting occupationEmployment is falling with flat pay — the occupation may be contracting.
Employment figures from ONS Annual Population Survey (APS). Counts are estimates; suppressed cells (small samples) are excluded from totals.
Median annual pay for Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale across UK regions.
Source: ONS ASHE. Based on broad UK regions (NUTS1).
| Region | Median Pay |
|---|---|
| London | £42,500 |
| North West | £41,000 |
| South West | £38,000 |
| South East | £37,500 |
| East Midlands | £34,500 |
| West Midlands | £34,500 |
| Wales | £34,500 |
| North East | £34,000 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | £34,000 |
| Scotland | £32,500 |
| UK | £37,000 |
Annual pay grew by +14.3% from 2024 to 2025.
National average (NUTS1 actuals) based on ONS ASHE April snapshot.
Annual percentage change in median pay for Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale.
Percentage change from the prior year's April figure.
For job seekers
Check your salary against official UK data for Shopkeepers and owners - retail and wholesale roles — broken down by region and seniority level. Free, instant, no sign-up required.
For employers & recruiters
Shopkeepers and proprietors in this unit group co-ordinate, direct and undertake the activities in the running of small, independent retail and wholesale establishments.
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.
Salary data is sourced from official UK pay datasets and updated periodically.