UK Supply Chain Payments: A Mixed Bag in 2021, But Slightly Above Average

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 67
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 54.7/100
• UK average: 50.0/100 (Supply Chain is 4.7 points above)
• Top payer: Secret Escapes Limited - 97.95/100
• Bottom payer: Guala Closures UCP Limited - 21.2/100

What Stands Out

The supply chain sector, with an average PaymentCheck score of 54.7/100, is marginally better than the overall UK average of 50/100, although it's hardly cause for celebration. The wide range between the best and worst payers suggests significant disparity in payment practices across the industry.

Best Payers

1. SECRET ESCAPES LIMITED - 97.95/100
2. ALD AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED - 94.4/100
3. RAIL FOR LONDON (INFRASTRUCTURE) LIMITED - 90.96/100
4. MITSUBISHI POWER EUROPE, LTD. - 83.44/100
5. ST CLEMENTS PRESS 1988 LIMITED - 77.85/100

Worst Payers

1. GUALA CLOSURES UCP LIMITED - 21.2/100
2. TGA INDUSTRIES LIMITED - 22.43/100
3. OSCAR MAYER LIMITED - 28.2/100
4. ARNOLD LAVER & COMPANY LIMITED - 28.9/100
5. METTIS AEROSPACE LIMITED - 30/100

Regional Patterns

The regional data is pretty thin, based on very small sample sizes. The South West region, with only one company, shows an average of 94.4/100, but that's essentially just the score of that single business. Similarly, declaring Wales as a bastion of prompt payment based on one company (74.1/100) is statistically unsound. The "Unknown" category, with two companies averaging 87.2/100, is too vague to draw meaningful conclusions. East of England with three companies averaged 59.2 and may suggest something regionally but is too small to be statistically relevant.

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While the supply chain shows a slight edge at 54.7/100, the sector's payment performance is lukewarm, with a 76.75-point spread between the highest and lowest scoring companies signalling a need for widespread improvement.