Natural Products Association Releases Results of 2007 Supplier Compensation Survey and 2007 Retail Compensation Survey

July 22, 2007

6 Min Read
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Las Vegas, Nev. (July 21, 2007): The Natural Products Association announces publication of the 2007 Natural Products Association Supplier Compensation Survey and the 2007 Natural Products Association Retail Compensation Survey. The survey reports, compiled by Salary.com, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand compensation management solutions, are the premier sources of compensation data in the natural products industry.

“Most of our members don’t have the ability to take the temperature of the industry at large,” said David Seckman, executive director and CEO of the Natural Products Association. “The association is in a unique position to be able to make this in-depth information available to our members. This unprecedented survey will provide valuable information to employers looking to set the right salary for their employees and new hires. It will also provide guidance to businesses as they grow and develop, showing them the big picture that often gets lost during day to day operations.”

The 2007 Natural Products Association Retail Compensation Survey reports the median total cash compensation for all organizations for a store manager is $35,000; as the size of the organization increases, so does their pay. For example, store managers at stores with less than or equal to 10 full time employees (FTE) earn $36,000 annually – 15.5 percent less than the $42,600 annually paid to their counterparts working in organizations with greater than 25 full-time employees.

Below is a comparison of pay by employee size for the positions with the greatest variance:

Job Title

All Organizations

TCC Median

($000’s)

Organizations <=10 FTE’s

TCC Median

($000’s)

Organizations <=10 FTE’s

TCC Median

($000’s)

Assistant Store Manager - Full Time

29.0

24.2

33.3

Cashier - Part Time

17.7

15.9

22.2

Store Manager

35.0

36.0

42.6

Another interesting finding in the survey was the many hats worn by store owners. More than 70 percent of store owners report they are involved in managing the store, while less than 5 percent of owners indicate they are not involved in day-to-day operations.

Survey participants indicated store owner responsibility for the following functional areas:

Functional Area

% of Responses

Manage Store

70.8%

Purchasing

68.1%

Marketing/Advertising

80.6%

Human Resources

73.6%

Accounting

65.3%

Nutritionist

56.9%

Other functions not listed

65.3%

Not involved in day to day operations

4.2%

The 2007 Natural Products Association Supplier Compensation Survey also reports that organization size impacts pay. Smaller organizations pay below-market medians for certain employees. In the case of the vice president, sales, the compensation for organizations with less than or equal to $9 million in revenue is $66,000, 41.4 percent lower than the median total cash compensation for all organizations.

Below is a comparison of pay by staff- size for the positions with the greatest variance:

Job Title

All Organizations

TCC Median

($000’s)

Organizations <=$9M

TCC Median

($000’s)

%Difference

Vice President, Sales

112.7

66.0

-41.4%

Manufacturing Manager

51.5

34.4

-33.2%

Executive Assistant

42.9

31.2

-27.3%

Chief Executive Officer

220.9

174.0

-21.2%

Inside Sales Representative

32.0

28.0

-12.5%

"These survey reports will be very useful tools for retailers and suppliers that are seeking pay data on these specialized positions," explained Joseph Kilmartin, director of compensation at Salary.com. “Employers can use the survey results to set compensation at levels that will help attract and retain qualified individuals.”

About the 2007 Natural Products Association Retail Compensation Survey
The 2007 Natural Products Association Retail Compensation Survey report presents data reported for 20 job titles, from 80 organizations in the United States and Canada. Participants range in size from 1 to 109 employees. The survey reports pay practices for large and small organizations measured by revenue and by number of full time employees (FTEs). The survey reports pay practices within five regions – Northeast, South, Midwest, Mountain States and West Coast. The data is further divided by sub-regions, which include the Mid-Atlantic, Great Lakes, South Central, Pacific Northwest and Pacific Southwest.
The survey report is available for purchase from the Natural Products Association. To learn more or to purchase a copy of this survey, please log onto: http://naturalproductsretailer.salary.com.

About the 2007 Natural Products Association Supplier Compensation Survey
The 2007 Natural Products Association Supplier Compensation Survey report presents data reported for 28 job titles, from 25 organizations reporting data for 34 locations in the United States and Canada. Participants range in size from 1 to 264 employees. The survey reports pay practices for large and small organizations measured by Revenue and by number of Full Time Employees (FTEs). The survey reports data for the West Coast Region, and specifically the state of California.
The survey report is available for purchase from the Natural Products Association. To learn more or to purchase a copy of this survey, please log onto: http://naturalproductssupplier.salary.com.

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