For butchers trying to manage rising costs while retaining good staff, offering a package of workplace benefits can be a sensible investment, says NCB managing director Eleanor O’Brien.
Independent butchers need to achieve a delicate balance: paying competitive wages to attract and retain skilled staff while absorbing a wider range of rising business costs and operating in an environment where customer footfall remains under pressure.
We know that attracting and keeping skilled butchers has been challenging for some time; so, to help members each year, NCB conducts a wage survey, canvassing a selection of members across England and Wales to get a picture of wages across the sector and also an idea of the packages members offer their employees. Our full members have access to regional breakdowns, but we always share some of the main results with the industry.
Our 2026 Wage Survey was conducted in May this year and the results showed average hourly pay across all roles rose to £13.78 in 2026, from £13.06 in 2025, an increase of 5.5%. This average includes all staff (counter staff, apprentices, butchers and managers), so an increase of this nature is not unexpected when we have seen minimum wage increases of 8.5% for those under 21 and 4.1% for people aged 21 and over.
With the price increases in raw ingredients, energy and business rates we’ve seen in recent years, it’s a challenging time for butchers, and while businesses need to remain competitive on pay to secure skilled employees, passing on costs to the consumer without impacting demand is a balancing act.
This is why we encourage our members not to ignore the entire packages they offer their teams. Through the years that we have conducted these surveys, we have seen increases in businesses offering other benefits; in 2026, 92% of respondents offered a staff discount system and 16% offered additional holiday beyond the statutory minimum. With a selection offering other benefits such as healthcare or gym membership, death-in-service cover and performance bonuses, demonstrating that butchers are continuing to invest in their people despite those pressures.
While it may feel like little consolation, the strain is shared by businesses from all sectors. Recent ONS data showed that 66% of businesses with ten or more employees reported increased staffing costs over the three months to May 2026, and 62% were concerned with energy prices, rising to 73% for larger business with ten or more employees.
Research by Begbies Traynor Group found that 53,756 UK businesses were in “critical financial distress” in the three months to June, up 9% from a year earlier.
All of which makes for a difficult trading climate and could leave butchers feeling even more uncertain. However, there are glimmers of hope, with a strong summer trade for many and the new Government focusing on the high street and SMEs. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has proposed raising the threshold for business rates, a move that could result in 140,000 additional small businesses being exempt from paying the rate altogether.
NCB continues to work with partners in the Independent Retailers Confederation to highlight the challenges faced, lobbying for measures from Government to support our high streets and SMEs going forward. And despite the challenges, there are plenty of success stories within the industry showing the resilience and creativity we have.
