​A question that often comes up, especially around this time of year, is:
“What should we be paying for this role?”
And the honest answer is… it depends.

In garden retail, job titles don’t always mean much on their own. A Garden Centre Manager in a small, independent business might be running a small, hands-on site. In a large group or high-turnover centre, they can lead a £10m+ centre with a large team, a restaurant, multiple departments, and concessions.

 So, salary benchmarking isn’t just about title; it’s about scale, complexity, and location.

 I’ve put together a rough guide based on what I’ve seen in the market recently

This reflects what I’m seeing day-to-day, based on live vacancies and speaking to leaders in the industry:

If you’re looking to stay competitive while still being realistic, current ranges are roughly:

• Supervisor / Team Leader: ~£28k–£29k

  This is a good average to maintain the competitive rate at this level

• Department Manager: ~£30k–£35k

  Typically, around £30k for someone stepping up, rising towards mid-£30s for more experienced hires)

•  Assistant Manager: ~£35k–£40k

  A broader range, reflecting how much this role varies depending on the location and size of the centre

• Garden Centre Manager: ~£40k–£55k+

Again, heavily influenced by commerciality, experience, the size of the site, and location

The big differences between the lower and upper ends of each bracket:

• How commercial the role really is

• The size and turnover of the site

• Whether there’s added complexity like F&B, concessions, or events

• And of course, location

A £30k Department Manager role can be perfectly fair in one business, and completely off in another. For example, Salaries in London and the Southeast tend to lean towards the higher end.

The Bit That Causes Problems

Where things have the potential to go wrong is when businesses benchmark purely on job title.

A Department Manager in one centre might be running a small team and minimal stock. In another, they’re responsible for seasonal planning, significant revenue, full stock processes and buying.

Same title, completely different job.

That’s where I find things start to misalign when speaking with those in the industry - salaries don’t reflect the actual level of responsibility, and good candidates either opt out or don’t engage in the first place.

What I’m Seeing More Of

Through conversations I’ve recently had, there seems to be a gradual shift happening in parts of the industry:

• Higher pay for commercial experience

• Real value in horticultural knowledge over retail experience

• Clearer differentiation between operational and leadership roles

My Take

If you’re hiring, the question isn’t just “What’s the market rate?

It's “What level is this role really at within our business?”

If you’d like to have a chat about salary benchmarking in your business, the team and I would love to help – it’s part of the service we provide!