Perfume retailer The Perfume Shop has reported a 12.93% mean gender pay gap for 2025, down from 14.99% in 2024.
The decrease is due to ongoing progress in balancing pay outcomes across the business.
Its median gender pay gap for 2025 was 1.07%, up from zero in 2024. A total of 76% of employees in the upper pay quartile are women, demonstrating strong female representation in senior and leadership positions. Meanwhile, its lower pay quartile consists of 86% of women and 14% of men.
The Perfume Shop’s mean gender bonus gap for 2025 was 21.07%, down from 31.82% in 2024, while its median was 9.87%, up from 7.97% in 2024.
The improvement was driven by continued investment in commission for store-based teams during its golden quarter. A total of 92% of women and 83% of men received a bonus in 2025.
The retailer has invested in policies designed to support employees throughout their careers. Its maternity pay for salaried management and head office teams helps to better support employees during maternity leave and help their financial wellbeing.
Gill Smith, managing director at The Perfume Shop, said: “We are incredibly proud of the progress our teams continue to make. Developing talent from within the business is a key part of our culture and seeing females progress into senior roles is always a highlight. Our gender pay gap report allows us to track progress, hold ourselves accountable and ensure we continue creating opportunities for everyone across our business.”
Michelle Fellows, people, sustainability and development director at The Perfume Shop, added: “At The Perfume Shop, our people are at the heart of everything we do. While gender pay reporting is an important benchmark, our focus remains on creating an environment where everyone can grow, develop and be rewarded fairly. We’re encouraged to see positive progress across several of our key measures this year, particularly the movement in our bonus pay gap in favour of women. This can also be seen across the significant contribution from our female employees that deliver across our stores.”
