Scottish Firms Lead UK in Payment Performance, But Wide Disparities Persist

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 304
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 63.7/100
• UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100
• Scotland's average PaymentCheck Score above UK average: 13.7 points
• Healthcare And Wellbeing Sector Average: 100.0 (1 company)
• Data Sector Average: 96.3 (1 company)
• Transportation Infrastructure Sector Average: 92.1 (1 company)

What Stands Out

The fact that Scottish firms significantly outperform the UK average suggests a potentially stronger payment culture north of the border. However, the vast spread between the best and worst payers indicates considerable inconsistencies within Scotland itself, with some businesses struggling – or choosing not – to pay promptly.

Best Payers

These companies achieved near-perfect PaymentCheck Scores, demonstrating best-in-class payment practices:

1. BP ENERGY EUROPE LIMITED - 100/100
2. INNER DOWSING WIND FARM LIMITED - 100/100
3. LORENA INVESTMENTS LIMITED - 100/100
4. WILLOW ROLLING STOCK UK LIMITED - 100/100
5. ROCKROSE UKCS15 LIMITED - 99.22/100

Worst Payers

These companies' low PaymentCheck Scores raise concerns about their payment behaviour and potential impact on their suppliers. These scores suggest some businesses are taking a long time to pay invoices, leaving suppliers short.

1. INSPIRE CATERING SCOTLAND LLP - 3.4/100
2. DOBBIES GARDEN CENTRES LIMITED - 7.52/100
3. TENNENT CALEDONIAN BREWERIES UK LIMITED - 14.8/100
4. PLEXUS CORP (UK) LIMITED - 15.37/100
5. DINGBRO LIMITED - 20.19/100

Sector Breakdown

While the top three sectors – Healthcare And Wellbeing (100.0), Data (96.3), and Transportation Infrastructure (92.1) – all recorded extremely high scores, only one company each represented these sectors. Human Resources (80.4 average from 5 companies) and Software (79.0 average from 3 companies) suggest these sectors exhibit better payment practices than the average PaymentCheck score of 63.7, but the small sample sizes make drawing broader conclusions difficult. A more comprehensive analysis across multiple sectors would be needed to determine reliable sector-based trends in Scottish payment practices.

Scottish companies on average boast PaymentCheck scores 13.7 points above the UK average, but the worst performers are lagging far behind the best, highlighting the need for greater transparency and enforcement of prompt payment standards. If you're dealing with slow payers, then calculate the late payment interest you're owed with our late payment calculator.