UK Creative Sector Payments: Better Than Average, But Plenty of Laggards

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 45
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 65.0/100
• UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100
• Outperformance vs UK average: 15.0 points
• Top Payer: THAT LOT CREATIVES LIMITED - 99.1/100
• Bottom Payer: DIESEL LONDON LIMITED - 27.2/100
• Regional High (Scotland): 92.3 avg (1 company)
• Regional Low (South West): 60.6 avg (3 companies)

What Stands Out

While the creative sector's average PaymentCheck score of 65.0 significantly beats the overall UK average of 50.0, a sizable gulf exists between the best and worst payers, suggesting inconsistent payment practices. The top score of 99.1 and the bottom score of 27.2 reveals extreme variation in how creative businesses treat their suppliers, or at least, how quickly they pay invoices.

Best Payers

1. THAT LOT CREATIVES LIMITED - 99.1/100
2. SOUTH LANARKSHIRE LEISURE AND CULTURE LIMITED - 92.27/100
3. THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS - 91.1/100
4. AMAZON UK SERVICES LTD. - 90.5/100
5. BBC GRAFTON HOUSE PRODUCTIONS LIMITED - 88.8/100

Worst Payers

1. DIESEL LONDON LIMITED - 27.2/100
2. MISSGUIDED LIMITED - 29.1/100
3. W & J LINNEY LIMITED - 33.47/100
4. VOW EUROPE LIMITED - 33.65/100
5. DISNEY NETWORKS GROUP (UK) LIMITED - 36.4/100

Regional Patterns

It's difficult to draw firm conclusions from regional data, especially with only one company represented in the Scotland data; the average of 92.3 might be misleading. London, with the largest sample size (21 companies), scored a respectable 68.3, slightly above the overall creative sector average, but lower than the East Midlands (70.4 avg), suggesting London’s creative powerhouse doesn't necessarily translate into faster payments. The South West's average of 60.6 is the lowest with more than one company, but the sample size of only 3 companies makes it hard to give this figure too much weight.

Creative businesses can use this late payment calculator to understand the impacts of poor payment practices and take proactive steps to get invoices paid on time.

One-Line Takeaway

Despite an average PaymentCheck Score 15 points above the UK average, creatives must be wary of companies like Diesel London Limited, which scored only 27.2 out of 100.