Sales and retail assistants Pay Data UK — 2025

Sales and retail assistants roles in the UK earn a median of £25,178 per year, equivalent to £13.19 per hour as of 2025. This represents a 5.4% increase in annual pay compared to the previous year. Pay varies across the UK, ranging from £20,738 to £35,632 per year.

How Pay Varies Across the UK

Each bar shows how many areas of the UK have a median annual pay in that range for Sales and retail assistants roles. The dashed line marks the national median.

Based on sub-regional area data. Want a precise figure for your area?

About Sales and retail assistants

Sales and retail assistants demonstrate and sell a variety of goods and services in shops, stores, showrooms and similar establishments.

Typical Tasks and Duties

• discusses customer requirements, including type and price range of goods/services desired
• advises customer on selection, purchase, use and care of merchandise and quotes prices, discounts and delivery times
• advises customer making major purchase on credit terms and arranges finance as appropriate
• receives full or partial payment, checks validity of form of payment, writes or prints bill, receipt or docket and packages merchandise for customer
• arranges and replenishes goods on display stands, undertakes stock checks and assists with the receipt of deliveries from suppliers into the stock room
• handles returns and deals with customer complaints

Entry Routes and Qualifications

No minimum academic qualifications are required although some employers may require GCSEs/S grades. Training is typically provided on-the-job. Vocational qualifications in Retail Operations and relevant apprenticeships are available at various levels.

Related Occupations

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