Uniqlo is raising the hourly rate for its UK retail staff by 7% as it rolls out new employee benefits.
The fashion retailer will increase the average pay for its “entry grade” store assistants in London to £13.15 and £12.15 for those based outside of the city from 1 April, Retail Week reported.
The pay rise is joined with a new set of employee benefits, which include an enhanced equal pay scheme for parents taking leave for the birth or adoption of a child, increasing annual leave allowance to 34 days and £300 net pay towards clothing annually.
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The changes mark Uniqlo’s second pay increase in the last two years and will result in store staff seeing a 29% boost to their annual pay.
Uniqlo chief operating officer Alessandro Dudech told the publication: “The reason why we’ve done this first and foremost is really to show our commitment to employee wellbeing.
“For Uniqlo, our employees are our most valuable assets, so by investing in a salary increase and a series of enhanced employee benefits, we hope to ensure our staff feel valued and motivated to really contribute to the company’s success.”
The retailer is set to open its third store on London’s Oxford Street on 18 April, as it moves into a 1,300 sqm unit at the One Oxford Street development next to Tottenham Court Road station.
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