The median minimum established rate for retail assistants in 2026 is £12.73 an hour across the sector as a whole. This represents an increase of 4.3% or 52p since last year. Data taken from IDR’s annual survey of pay and conditions in retail suggests that minimum rates of pay remain highest in food retail where the median is £13.23; this is 4.0% (or 50p) above the median for the sector as a whole.
