Marks & Spencer has introduced a new £13 minimum hourly wage rule that came into effect in April 2026. The retailer is investing over £70 million to increase pay for UK retail colleagues by at least 6.4 per cent.
Pay increase details
From 1 April, M&S increased retail pay to £13.41 per hour for UK customer assistants, benefiting approximately 55,000 colleagues. This represents an increase of £132 per month or £1,587 per year compared to the previous year. For London-based customer assistants, pay rose by 6.4 per cent to £14.74 per hour.
Investment in colleagues
M&S has invested more than £350 million in colleague pay over the last four years since beginning its reshaping for growth strategy. This latest increase equates to over 34 per cent cumulative pay growth for colleagues.
In addition to the competitive hourly rate, M&S offers a range of benefits designed to support colleagues and their families. These include an uncapped 20 per cent discount across all M&S branded food, fashion, home, and beauty products, a sector-leading Sharesave scheme, and pension contributions of up to 12 per cent to help colleagues save for the future.
Together, the newly increased base pay and benefits package could be worth up to £16.33 per hour.
CEO statement
Stuart Machin, M&S Chief Executive, said: "Our store colleagues are at the heart of our business, welcoming and serving our customers every day and it is important that we invest in them and their pay."
He added: "This is a good cost and I am pleased that we have been able to make this inflation-beating pay award, alongside our leading package of benefits. This investment reflects the central role our people play as we reshape M&S for growth. As always I thank our colleagues for their continued hard work and commitment."
