The sheer size of the gap between the average score and the UK average is the main story. While the South East boasts many excellent payers, the presence of companies with extremely low scores suggests that late payment problems, while not universal, are significant for some suppliers.
A handful of companies achieve perfect scores, demonstrating what's possible:
These companies represent diverse sectors, suggesting good payment practices aren't confined to a single industry in the South East.
These companies have considerable room for improvement and are potentially damaging smaller suppliers:
The presence of larger, well-known businesses like Reckitt Benckiser on this list raises questions about their supply chain management practices. Suppliers struggling with late payments can use our late payment calculator to understand potential financial impacts.
Certain sectors demonstrate a clear commitment to prompt payment:
Human Resources and Financial Services lead the way, showing a stronger average payment score. It's worth noting that the Waterways Travel sector is based on just two companies, so the average might not be broadly representative.
Takeaway: While the average PaymentCheck Score of 69.9/100 indicates generally good payment practices in the South East, the range, from 17.6 to 100, reveals significant inconsistencies across companies.
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