Wickes introduces £13 rule in all UK stores in April | UK | News

Wickes, which has more than 230 branches across the country, has introduced the new £13 rule across its UK stores in a bid to boost its workforce.

From this week (April 1), the hardware store has increased its minimum hourly pay rates for all retail assistants in England, Scotland and Wales to almost £13. On Wednesday, the National Living Wage (for those aged 21 and over) rose to £12.71, while hourly wages for 18-20 year olds earning under the new National Minimum Wage rose to £10.85. Apprentices and under-18s will receive a minimum of £8 per hour.

It comes as several retailers increase the salaries of shop assistants from today as cost-of-living pressures continue to impact British households. The DIY giant also plans to open 70 new facilities over the next few years, for a total of 300. This will create 2,000 new jobs across the UK.

Chief executive David Wood said DIY in the UK was “distinctive” due to the amount of low-quality homes that were often “owner-occupied and are a really significant financial asset”.

He added: “They are the oldest housing stock in all of Europe and therefore in need of constant repair, maintenance and improvement.”

Wickes saw sales rise 6% to £1.6bn in the year to 27 December 2025, with pre-tax profits rising from £23m to £49m.

Wood said: “This has been another year of strong progress against our strategy. We have achieved volume-led growth across all three areas of the business, as the strength of our offering continues to resonate with customers.”

“Given the strength of investment returns from our proven store renovation and new store rollout strategy, we today announced the decision to accelerate our investment for future growth.

“This calls for our ambition to reach 300 stores nationwide, creating more than 2,000 new jobs as we bring the Wickes exclusive offering to new locations across the UK.”