South East Businesses Beat UK Average on Payments, But Wide Discrepancies Remain

The Numbers

• 954 companies in South East, UK analysed.
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 68.2/100.
• UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100.
• South East average is 18.2 points above the UK average.
• Top score: 100/100 (multiple companies).
• Lowest score: 17.03/100.

What Stands Out

The South East significantly outperforms the UK average, suggesting a stronger payment culture in the region. However, the gap between the best and worst payers is enormous, highlighting inconsistency even within the region.

Best Payers

These companies achieved a perfect 100/100 PaymentCheck score, indicating consistently prompt payments:

1. KL VENTURES LIMITED
2. ESSO UK LIMITED
3. BRISTOW HELICOPTERS (INTERNATIONAL) LIMITED
4. BIDCONNECTER LIMITED
5. XEROX FINANCE LIMITED

Worst Payers

These companies received some of the lowest PaymentCheck scores, suggesting potential payment difficulties:

1. MICK GEORGE EARTHWORKS LIMITED - 17.03/100
2. CH CO CATERING GROUP LIMITED - 17.9/100
3. KIMBERLY-CLARK EUROPEAN SERVICES LIMITED - 18.5/100
4. CIVIL AND MARINE LIMITED - 18.5/100
5. RECKITT BENCKISER HEALTHCARE (UK) LIMITED - 19/100

Sector Breakdown

The Financial Services sector leads with an average score of 84.9 (71 companies), closely followed by Human Resources at 84.4 (10 companies). Waterways Travel scored 82.0 (2 companies), Education 81.5 (47 companies) and Care Services 77.6 (17 companies). The dominance of Financial Services and Human Resources suggests these sectors prioritize efficient payment practices, while Care Services lags relatively behind within the top sectors.

You can use a late payment calculator to assess the potential impact of late payments.

Despite an overall positive average, the 82.97-point difference between KL VENTURES LIMITED and MICK GEORGE EARTHWORKS LIMITED proves that suppliers in the South East need to stay vigilant when extending credit.