The Perfume Shop, the UK’s largest specialist perfume retailer, is proud to report a 0% median gender pay gap in its Gender Pay Gap Report 2024, reflecting a 4.44% reduction from the previous reporting period.
Major strides have also been made by The Perfume Shop in closing its bonus pay gap. The median bonus gap has dramatically improved to just 7.97%, representing a 75.23% reduction, thanks to increased investment in performance-related bonuses for store teams during the Golden Quarter.
The latest report also highlights The Perfume Shop’s significant progress in closing its mean gender pay gap, which has reduced to 14.99%, an improvement of 3.86% from last year. Meanwhile, the mean bonus gap has reduced to 31.82%, down from 40.14% in 2023, an 8.32% improvement.
These results reflect the business’s ongoing commitment to fair pay, career development, and ensuring all employees feel valued and rewarded.
Michelle Fellows, People, Sustainability & Development Director at The Perfume Shop, commented: “At The Perfume Shop, our people are at the heart of everything we do, so we’re incredibly proud to share the results of our Gender Pay Gap Report 2024. Achieving a zero median gender pay gap is a huge milestone for us, and it reflects our ongoing commitment to fair pay, career development, and recognising the hard work of our teams. We want everyone who works here to feel valued and rewarded, and we’re always striving to create an inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.
As we celebrate this achievement, it’s also a chance to reflect on the bigger picture. Gender equity isn’t just something to focus on today, but every day. It’s a reminder of the role businesses like ours play in driving meaningful change”
As part of its ‘Grow Our Own’ strategy, The Perfume Shop remains committed to internal career development, offering learning programmes and apprenticeships to support employees’ progression. This strategy is reflected in the company’s 78% female-led leadership team, which includes a female Managing Director, Gill Smith, and the recent promotions of Karen Harris to Customer Director and Laura Wilkinson to Online Business Director in March 2024.
The company’s workforce has remained stable, with 1,639 employees in 2023 compared to 1,644 in 2024. There has been a slight increase in male representation, rising from 13.6% to 15.2%, primarily within the lower and lower-middle pay quartiles and the company is committed to continuing to promote gender equity to balance it’s mean gender pay gap.
Karen Harris, customer director at The Perfume Shop, said: “The Perfume Shop has always been a place where passion and hard work are recognised, and I feel incredibly proud to have grown my career here. We’re a business that truly invests in its people, and it’s great to see the positive impact of that, whether through career development, pay fairness, or the supportive culture we’ve built. Seeing our teams thrive is what makes this such a fantastic place to work.”
Looking ahead, The Perfume Shop is committed to further closing its mean gender pay and bonus gaps, ensuring gender balance across all levels of the business. In 2025, the company will continue to:
- Maintain its commitment as a real Living Wage employer
- Strengthen pay transparency policies across stores, Scent Quarters, and warehouse teams
- Advertise pay when recruiting for store roles and develop more transparency when advertising for Head Office and Warehouse roles
- Enhance family-friendly benefits, including improved maternity pay
- Benchmark its reward practices externally through Top Employers accreditation
Laura Wilkinson, online business director at The Perfume Shop, added: “What I love about The Perfume Shop is the commitment to nurturing talent and creating real opportunities for people to grow. My own journey here has shown me how much the business values internal progression, and it’s exciting to see that reflected in the positive results of this year’s report. We know there’s always more to do, but it’s great to see the steps we’ve taken making a meaningful difference for our teams.”
These results mark a significant step in The Perfume Shop’s ongoing mission to create an inclusive, fair, and rewarding workplace, ensuring that all employees, regardless of role or gender, have the opportunity to thrive.
