South East Businesses Outpace UK in Payment Performance, But Wide Disparities Persist

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 981
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 65.8/100
• UK average: 50.0/100
• South East outperformance: 15.8 points above UK average
• Top score: 100/100 (achieved by 5 companies)
• Lowest score: 1.7/100

What Stands Out

The South East significantly outperforms the UK average in payment performance, but the sheer range of scores – from a perfect 100 to a near-failing 1.7 – highlights significant inconsistencies. The difference of 98.3 points between the highest and lowest PaymentCheck scores suggests radically different payment cultures exist within the region.

Best Payers

These companies achieved perfect PaymentCheck scores of 100/100, suggesting exemplary payment practices. They are:

1. WEBER SHANDWICK INTERNATIONAL LTD
2. PIZZAEXPRESS MERCHANDISING LIMITED
3. VIRGO HEALTH PR LIMITED
4. RSA ACCIDENT REPAIRS LIMITED
5. REILLY JDM HOLDINGS LIMITED

Worst Payers

These companies have the lowest PaymentCheck scores, indicating potential problems with their payment practices. They are:

1. CATERMASTERS CONTRACT CATERING LIMITED - 1.7/100
2. HOST MANAGEMENT LTD - 2.4/100
3. CREATIVEVENTS LIMITED - 2.5/100
4. PRINCIPAL CATERING CONSULTANTS LIMITED - 2.7/100
5. ABSOLUTELY CATERING LIMITED - 3.1/100

Sector Breakdown

Averages vary significantly by sector. Waterways Travel (with a single company) unsurprisingly leads with 94.4, but Financial Services (86.7 average across 57 companies) and Human Resources (80.0 average across 12 companies) also demonstrate strong payment performance. It's worth watching if the higher score in Financial Services is sustained over time due to the number of companies included. The Energy sector, with 30 companies, matched Human Resources' score of 80. Education, with 53 companies, has a respectable average of 78.6.

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Takeaway: Despite the South East’s overall PaymentCheck score of 65.8 being well above the UK average of 50.0, the massive difference between the best and worst payers demonstrates that suppliers need to carefully vet their clients.