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North East Payment Practices Report 2020

•By PaymentCheck•Reports

North East Businesses Outpace UK Average for Prompt Payments in 2020

The Numbers

  • Companies analysed: 128
  • Average PaymentCheck Score (North East): 58.9/100
  • Average PaymentCheck Score (UK): 50.0/100
  • North East Average Above UK Average: 8.9 points
  • Top Payer: TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN SUNDERLAND LIMITED - 98.1/100
  • Bottom Payer: BEL VALVES LIMITED - 20.08/100
  • Top Sector: Care Services - 87.6 avg (3 companies)
  • Worst Sector: Professional Services - 65.9 avg (1 company)

What Stands Out

While the North East as a whole performed above the national average, the large spread between the top and bottom payers indicates significant inconsistencies in payment practices across the region. It's notable that the top payers feature several organisations focused on care and support, suggesting a commitment to timely payments within that sector.

Best Payers

These North East companies demonstrate strong payment ethics, achieving scores well above the regional average:

  1. TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN SUNDERLAND LIMITED - 98.1/100 - A clear leader in prompt payment.
  2. HAYS TRAVEL LIMITED - 97.5/100 - Showing commitment to suppliers despite the challenges the travel sector faced in 2020.
  3. SUNDERLAND CARE AND SUPPORT LIMITED - 97.4/100 - Further solidifying the Care Services sector's strong payment performance.
  4. ALGECO STORAGE LIMITED - 94.65/100 - Representing the storage solutions industry with good payment habits.
  5. NORTHERN EDUCATION TRUST - 94/100 - Highlighting a positive example within the Education sector.

Worst Payers

These companies' scores suggest significant room for improvement in their payment practices:

  1. BEL VALVES LIMITED - 20.08/100 - Demonstrating the lowest PaymentCheck score in the North East for 2020.
  2. WOOD GROUP INDUSTRIAL SERVICES LIMITED - 20.7/100 - Payment performance significantly lags behind the regional average.
  3. ROCKLIFFE HALL LIMITED - 26.9/100 - Suggesting a potential issue with cash flow or payment processes within this hospitality business.
  4. GAP GROUP LIMITED - 28.21/100 - An area for attention for this plant and tool hire company.
  5. CMP PRODUCTS LIMITED - 29.37/100 - The performance indicates they could improve supplier relationships via better payment practices.

Sector Breakdown

Care Services (87.6 avg) significantly outperforms other sectors, while the single Professional Services company analysed (65.9 avg) suggests potential payment challenges in that area, albeit based on a very small sample size; more data is needed to draw robust conclusions about that particular sector. The higher scores in Care and Education (70.4 avg) versus Raw Materials (67.9 avg) could be due to differing financial pressures or organisational structures.

If you're dealing with late payments, you can use this late payment calculator to check what you're owed.

Despite the North East average exceeding the UK benchmark by 8.9 points, the bottom payer's score of 20.08 reveals some companies are still struggling to meet payment obligations.