Summary
Young, LGBTQ+ and frontline workers are the unhappiest people in retail, according to the Retail Trust and global consulting firm, AlixPartners’ latest Retail People Index.
The new report, which has tracked wellbeing across the retail sector from April 2023 to March 2025, found they consistently felt unhappier, less safe and more anxious than people working in retail head offices or manager roles over that time.
8,975 retail staff have now been asked about their mental and physical health and how valued and fulfilled they feel at work, to create an overall wellbeing score out of 100. The national average during the first quarter of the year was 61, but LGBTQ+ staff scored just 54 while heterosexual workers scored 63.
Employees aged 25-to-34 scored 57, putting them 12 points behind over-55s during the first three months of the year. Those working in stores, customer services and distribution centres scored 59 on average, making them six points unhappier than their head office colleagues who scored 65.
The Retail People Index also found nearly half (47 per cent) of all staff were at risk of leaving their jobs at the start of 2025, driven by an increase in those who felt their career development had stalled.
Chris Brook-Carter, chief executive of the Retail Trust, said, “Retail has always built its biggest successes on the strengths of its people, but we’ve found a worrying wellbeing gap risks pushing younger, LGBTQ+ and frontline retail colleagues out of the sector.
"These are people the sector cannot afford to do without when it comes to keeping the industry running now and developing the leaders of the future, so we must take steps to close this gap.
“Fewer retail staff than usual also felt they were being adequately developed at the start of the year and this is something else we need to address to prevent even more talented people leaving the industry.
"Our data shows that overall wellbeing tends to improve during the spring and summer months before pressures once again intensify going into the autumn, so the most forward-thinking employers will make the most of this time to provide more proactive support.
“That could include investing in training, bolstering mental-health resources, or clearly communicating where help can be found before anyone reaches crisis point.”
Laura Bond, director at AlixPartners, said: “Many retail brands are wrestling with the localised impacts of geopolitical shifts, tariff developments, and the associated effects on consumer confidence. Uncertainty of this kind can affect anyone’s overall wellbeing, not to mention anxiety about their own futures in an industry that is often impacted by the macro disruption that we see emerge every year.
“Retail leaders must ensure that all employees, irrespective of role, function, or location, are adequately supported, paying particular attention to those highlighted groups that are struggling the most, and that clear and frequent employee engagement is prioritised. An absence of company dialogue can be unnerving, even if there is no cause for alarm.
"Fostering resilience and high performance amongst employees in areas at the highest risk of presenteeism, such as on the frontline and in distribution, will be critical in helping their companies to succeed amid the current market challenges.”
The latest Retail People Index has been released during a week of free training from the Retail Trust to help shop workers and delivery drivers handle increasing levels of abuse and violence. The three online sessions are available to watch on demand until 30 June at retailtrust.org.uk/respect.
The Retail People Index is compiled using data from the Retail Trust’s and employee engagement platform WorkL’s online happiness assessment.
