Forestown International Executive Search: 2026 Salary Benchmark Report for the New Retail and Chain Operations Industry

In 2026, China’s new retail and chain-store sectors will feature a salary landscape characterized by deep online–offline integration, digital roles leading the pack, and tiered store structures. The industry’s average pre-tax annual salary is approximately RMB 146,000, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.9%. Notably, positions in digital operations, private-domain growth, supply-chain management, chain expansion, and smart-store technology are seeing substantial salary hikes, while base-level store-service roles are experiencing more moderate increases. Meanwhile, core managerial talent and digitally savvy, multi-skilled professionals command significant premium compensation.

Forestown International Executive Search: 2026 Salary Benchmark Report for the New Retail and Chain Operations Industry

I. Base Salary for Store-Level Service and Operations Positions (National Average)

Store sales associates, shopping guides, and cashiers earn a combined monthly salary of RMB 4,800–6,500, including commissions, full-attendance bonuses, and performance incentives. For stores specializing in beauty products, jewelry, and high-end apparel, monthly earnings can range from RMB 7,000 to 9,500, with salaries in first-tier cities typically 10%–15% higher than in inland cities.

Monthly salaries for store warehouse, merchandising, and restocking positions range from RMB 4,500 to RMB 6,200; for fresh-food cold-chain and large-item merchandising positions, the range is RMB 5,500 to RMB 7,200.

Customer service representatives and after-sales reception positions offer a monthly salary of RMB 5,000–6,800; candidates with 1–3 years of experience can expect RMB 6,000–8,500. Members-only customer service roles carry a 10%–20% salary premium.

Store cleaning and security support positions offer a monthly salary of RMB 4,200–5,500, with comprehensive meal and accommodation benefits included.

Fresh-food and restaurant-chain kitchen assistants and food-preparation staff earn a monthly salary of RMB 5,000–7,000; skilled chopping and pastry positions offer RMB 6,500–8,500.

II. Compensation for Store Management and Individual Store Operations Positions

Assistant Store Manager and Store Manager Trainee: Monthly salary of RMB 6,500–9,000 with 1–3 years of experience; annual salary of RMB 80,000–110,000, with a 15%–25% premium for branded chain stores.

Chain Store Managers (Community/Standard Stores): 1–3 years of experience: RMB 8,000–12,000 per month, with an annual salary of RMB 100,000–150,000; 3–5 years of experience: Senior Store Manager: RMB 13,000–18,000 per month, with an annual salary of RMB 160,000–220,000, including performance-based bonuses.

Flagship/Big-Store Store Manager (Business District/Mall): Under 3 years of experience: RMB 12,000–18,000 per month; 3–5 years of experience: RMB 19,000–26,000 per month; annual salary of RMB 230,000–320,000; for top-tier brands, annual salary can exceed RMB 350,000 upon meeting performance targets.

Store Operations Supervisor / Regional Supervisor: RMB 7,500–11,000 per month for 1–3 years of experience; RMB 12,000–18,000 per month for 3–5 years; RMB 19,000–28,000 per month for 5+ years. Responsible for managing 5–10 stores.

Category Coach/Professional Consultant (Apparel/Home Goods/3C): Monthly salary of RMB 7,000–11,000, with a high-commission structure that can boost total monthly earnings to RMB 12,000–20,000.

III. Salaries for Digital Transformation and Online Operations Roles in New Retail

New Retail Operations Specialist (Omnichannel Integration): RMB 7,000–10,000 per month for 1–3 years of experience; RMB 11,000–17,000 per month for 3–5 years; RMB 18,000–26,000 per month for 5+ years.

E-commerce operations, Tmall/JD/Douyin store management: 1–3 years of experience: RMB 8,000–13,000 per month; 3–5 years of experience: RMB 14,000–22,000 per month; senior operations specialist: RMB 23,000–32,000 per month.

Private-domain operations, community growth, and membership management roles: 1–3 years of experience—RMB 7,500–11,500 per month; 3–5 years—RMB 12,000–19,000 per month; 5+ years—RMB 20,000–30,000 per month; top-tier companies offer annual salaries of RMB 350,000–500,000.

Live-stream operations, streamer assistants, and live-stream production supervisors: monthly salary of RMB 6,500–9,500; for established live-streaming rooms, RMB 8,500–13,000; live-stream operations manager: RMB 15,000–22,000 per month.

Content Operations & Short-Video Director (Retail): 1–3 years: RMB 8,000–13,000; 3–5 years: RMB 14,000–22,000; Senior Content Expert: annual salary of RMB 300,000–450,000.

User Growth and Data Analytics Specialist (Retail): RMB 8,500–13,500 per month for 1–3 years of experience; RMB 14,000–23,000 per month for 3–5 years of experience; Data Expert: RMB 24,000–35,000 per month.

IV. Compensation for Chain Expansion, Franchise Development, and Supply Chain Positions

Chain Expansion Specialist/Site Selection & Development: 1–3 years of experience—monthly salary of RMB 7,000–11,000; 3–5 years—RMB 12,000–19,000; Expansion Manager—RMB 20,000–30,000 per month, including expansion commission.

Investment Promotion Manager, Franchise Management (Chain Brands): RMB 8,500–14,000 per month for 1–3 years; RMB 15,000–24,000 per month for 3–5 years; Investment Promotion Director: annual salary of RMB 350,000–600,000.

Supply Chain Specialist, Merchandise Procurement (Retail): RMB 7,500–11,500 per month for 1–3 years of experience; RMB 12,000–18,000 per month for 3–5 years of experience; Senior Procurement: RMB 19,000–28,000 per month.

Supply Chain Manager and Logistics Manager (Chain Distribution): 3–5 years of experience, RMB 13,000–20,000 per month, annual salary RMB 160,000–250,000; Logistics Director: annual salary RMB 300,000–500,000.

Product planning and category management: RMB 8,000–13,000 per month for 1–3 years of experience; RMB 14,000–22,000 per month for 3–5 years of experience; senior experts earn an annual salary of RMB 320,000–480,000.

V. Compensation for Mid- to Senior-Level Management and Functional Roles

Regional Manager (responsible for 10–30 stores): Minimum 5 years of experience; monthly salary of RMB 20,000–30,000, with an annual salary of RMB 250,000–400,000; additional performance-based bonuses available upon meeting targets.

Director of Operations and Head of New Retail: 8+ years of experience; annual salary of RMB 400,000–700,000; for top-tier chain brands, RMB 700,000–1,000,000+ per year.

Brand Director and Marketing Director (Retail Chain): Annual salary of RMB 450,000–750,000; for well-known brands, RMB 800,000–1.1 million.

Finance Manager and HR Manager (Chain Group): 3–5 years of experience, RMB 12,000–20,000 per month, annual salary RMB 150,000–250,000; Director-level positions: annual salary RMB 300,000–500,000.

Training Manager and Store System Development: RMB 11,000–18,000 per month for 3–5 years; Senior Training Director: annual salary of RMB 280,000–450,000.

VI. Salary Tiers by City (2026)

Tier 1 (Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou): Industry-average annual salary of RMB 200,000–240,000; core operations/management positions: RMB 280,000–450,000; senior management experts: RMB 600,000+ or higher.

Second-tier cities (Guangzhou, Suzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, and Chongqing): average annual salary of RMB 150,000–190,000; core positions pay RMB 220,000–320,000, which is 15%–20% lower than in first-tier cities.

Third-tier cities (Wuhan, Changsha, Xi’an, Zhengzhou, Qingdao): average annual salary of RMB 120,000–150,000; core positions pay RMB 160,000–240,000; entry-level store positions offer 20%–30% less than those in first-tier cities.

VII. Starting Salary Standards for Fresh Graduates (Class of 2026)

Master’s degree: New Retail Operations, Brand Management, and Supply Chain positions—CNY 150,000–220,000 per year; Core Digital roles—CNY 200,000–280,000 per year.

Undergraduate positions: Operations, Procurement, and Tenant Acquisition roles—RMB 7,000–10,000 per month, with an annual salary of RMB 90,000–130,000; Functional roles—RMB 5,500–7,500 per month.

Junior College Degree: Store Operations, Customer Service, and Warehouse Positions—RMB 4,800–6,500 per month; Chain Management Trainee Program—RMB 6,000–8,000 per month.

Chain Store Management Trainee (well-known brand): RMB 8,000–11,000 per month for bachelor’s degree holders; RMB 10,000–14,000 per month for master’s degree holders. Promotion to store manager or supervisor within 1–2 years.

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If you require talent profiles for specialized roles in new retail and chain operations, customized compensation solutions, executive-level headhunting for mid-to-high-end store management, new-retail operations, digital growth, chain expansion, and supply-chain procurement, as well as precise matching for hard-to-fill positions such as private-domain growth, livestream e-commerce, product planning, and franchise development, along with salary-negotiation benchmarks, please reach out to our dedicated executive-search team. With years of deep expertise in the new-retail and chain-industry sectors, we maintain an extensive database of high-caliber candidates across mid-to-high-end brands in retail e-commerce, local services, food & beverage, beauty, supermarkets, and convenience stores. We have a thorough understanding of industry compensation trends and the core requirements of each role, enabling us to help organizations efficiently build core teams for store management, digital operations, supply-chain optimization, and brand expansion—while reducing recruitment costs and securing a competitive edge in attracting top talent in the new-retail space.

Data are comprehensively sourced from:

1. Liepin’s Q1 2026 sample of over 420,000 industry job postings

2. Zhaopin’s “2026 New Retail and Chain Operations Compensation Survey Report”

3. 2026 Industry Compensation Survey by the China Chain Store & Franchise Association (CCFA)

4. Michael Page’s “2026 China Mainland Compensation Report” – Retail Sector

5. Zhiyouji’s 2026 National Salary Big Data for New Retail/Chain Positions