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.

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