How many employees work at Waitrose?
Waitrose Ltd. has approximately 21,505 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. Waitrose's total headcount has declined 24.6% from 28,517 employees in 2023 to 21,505 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is Waitrose hiring right now?
Yes, Waitrose is actively hiring. Waitrose had 451 active job postings in 2026, a 122.1% increase from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About Waitrose's Workforce
Waitrose Ltd. is an Apparel Retail company that employs 21,505 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the 7th-largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1904, the company is headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom.
Waitrose's workforce has declined 24.6% from 2023 to 2026, down 14.4% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 21,505 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in the United Kingdom (93.6%), followed by the United Arab Emirates (2.6%) and the United States (2.0%), with Canada, its fastest-growing location.
Waitrose's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (36.7%), Engineering (33.1%), and Sales and Marketing (30.1%). Median employee tenure is 4.4 years. The average salary is $41,686, ranging from a median of $49,000 in Northern America to $4,000 in Southern Asia.
Waitrose's active job postings rose 122.1% in 2026 to 451, with new postings per month cooling from 656 in 2023 to 273 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but declining.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
Waitrose
workforce metrics
Headcount
21.5k
14.4% YoY
Avg. Salary
$41.7k
2.7% YoY
Tenure
4.4yr
0.1yr YoY
Growth Rate
-14.4%
5.5pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for Waitrose. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- Waitrose had 21,505 employees in 2026, a 14.4% decline (-3,338) from 2025.
- Waitrose had 22,994 employees in 2025, a 11.9% decline (-2,909) from 2024.
- Waitrose had 25,903 employees in 2024, a 8.6% decline (-2,329) from 2023.
- Waitrose had 28,232 employees in 2023, a 7.5% decline (-2,202) from 2022.
Waitrose's total workforce has declined from 28,517 employees in 2023 to 21,505 in 2026.
Waitrose Ltd. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 21,505 | -3,338 | -14.4% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 22,994 | -2,909 | -11.9% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 23,388 | -2,838 | -11.4% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 24,580 | -2,425 | -9.4% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 24,843 | -2,309 | -8.9% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 25,903 | -2,329 | -8.6% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 26,226 | -1,998 | -7.3% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 27,005 | -1,512 | -5.4% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 27,152 | -1,965 | -7.0% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 28,232 | -2,202 | -7.5% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 28,224 | -2,474 | -8.4% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 28,517 | -2,997 | -10.0% |
Want to see Waitrose's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
The United Kingdom accounts for the largest share of Waitrose's global workforce with approximately 94% of total employees, followed by the United Arab Emirates and the United States. Waitrose's headcount in Canada is growing fastest among its major locations, up 28.8% year over year in 2026.
Waitrose employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 20,043 | 93.6% | -9.3% |
| United Arab Emirates | 564 | 2.6% | -5.5% |
| United States | 425 | 2.0% | -1.4% |
| Jersey | 89 | 0.4% | -14.4% |
| Nepal | 48 | 0.2% | +0.0% |
| Guernsey | 41 | 0.2% | -44.3% |
| India | 39 | 0.2% | -14.2% |
| Canada | 26 | 0.1% | +28.8% |
| South Africa | 18 | 0.1% | +0.0% |
| Australia | 16 | 0.1% | -67.3% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
Waitrose's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (36.7%), Engineering (33.1%), and Sales and Marketing (30.1%).
Waitrose employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 7,840 | 36.7% | -6.4% |
| Engineering | 7,080 | 33.1% | -8.4% |
| Sales and Marketing | 6,439 | 30.1% | -13.0% |
Compare Waitrose's department mix to industry peers.
Waitrose's average employee salary is $41,686 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.2x the global average. Pay is lowest in Southern Asia, at a median of $4,000.
Waitrose median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $49,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $36,000 |
| Western Europe | $35,000 |
| Northern Europe | $34,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $33,000 |
| Arab States | $25,000 |
| Southern Europe | $22,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $16,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $8,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $4,000 |
| Southern Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to Waitrose's industry peers.
- Waitrose had 451 active job postings in 2026, a 122.1% increase (-31) from 2025.
- Waitrose had 482 active job postings in 2025, a 109.5% increase (+341) from 2024.
- Waitrose had 141 active job postings in 2024, a 117.7% decline (-403) from 2023.
- Waitrose had 544 active job postings in 2023, a 111.3% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 273 new roles/month, down from 464 in 2025 and 563 in 2024. New metric
Waitrose's active job postings rose 122.1% in 2026 to 451, with new postings per month cooling from 656 in 2023 to 273 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across Waitrose's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has declined year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
- How fast is Waitrose growing?
- In 2026, Waitrose's headcount shrank 14.4% to 21,505 employees, down from 24,843 in 2025.
- Where are Waitrose employees located?
- Most Waitrose employees are based in the United Kingdom (93.6% of headcount), followed by the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
- What is the average salary at Waitrose?
- The average employee salary at Waitrose is approximately $41.7k per year.
- How many people does Waitrose hire per year?
- In 2026, Waitrose opened roughly 3,276 new roles — about 273 per month.
- When was Waitrose founded and where is it headquartered?
- Waitrose was founded in 1904 and is headquartered in Bracknell, United Kingdom.
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