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

The Numbers

• Companies Analysed: 259
• Average PaymentCheck Score (Scotland): 66.0/100
• Average PaymentCheck Score (UK): 50.0/100
• Scotland's average score is 16 points higher than the UK average.
• Top PaymentCheck Score: 100/100 (INNER DOWSING WIND FARM LIMITED)
• Lowest PaymentCheck Score: 5.27/100 (DOBBIES GARDEN CENTRES LIMITED)

What Stands Out

Scotland's average payment performance significantly exceeds the UK average, indicating a potentially healthier business environment for suppliers. However, the substantial gap between the best and worst payers shows that prompt payment is far from universal, and many companies struggle.

Best Payers

These companies demonstrate exceptional payment practices, consistently meeting or exceeding expectations:

1. INNER DOWSING WIND FARM LIMITED - 100/100
2. KILTEARN PARTNERS LLP - 99/100
3. SLATER MENSWEAR - 98.93/100 (A retailer standing out here is interesting, as retail is often seen as squeezed on margins)
4. TSB BANK PLC - 98.8/100
5. FIRST SENTIER INVESTORS (UK) IM LIMITED - 98.8/100

Worst Payers

These companies exhibit significant room for improvement in their payment practices, potentially impacting their suppliers' cash flow:

1. DOBBIES GARDEN CENTRES LIMITED - 5.27/100
2. INSPIRE CATERING SCOTLAND LLP - 6.9/100
3. PLEXUS CORP (UK) LIMITED - 14.15/100
4. GUALA CLOSURES UCP LIMITED - 19.45/100
5. JDR CABLE SYSTEMS LIMITED - 20.57/100

Sector Breakdown

Payment performance varied considerably across different sectors:

• Data: 95.9 avg (1 companies)
• Transportation Infrastructure: 95.5 avg (1 companies)
• Software: 91.0 avg (3 companies)
• Waterways Travel: 83.3 avg (3 companies)
• Financial Services: 83.3 avg (18 companies)

The Data sector performed the best, although the sample size is limited to only one company, making generalisations risky. Financial Services has a solid average across a larger sample of 18 businesses.

If you're facing late payments, check out this late payment calculator to see what you might be owed.

While Scotland's average PaymentCheck score of 66.0/100 is encouraging, the range between the top (100) and bottom (5.27) payers suggests a pressing need for greater consistency in payment practices across all Scottish businesses.