UK Supply Chain Payment Practices: A Mixed Bag in 2025

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 37
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 58.9/100
• UK average: 50.0/100 (Supply Chain is 8.9 points above)
• Top score: 96.4/100 (ANGEL LEASING COMPANY LIMITED)
• Bottom score: 13.2/100 (CAMMELL LAIRD SHIPREPAIRERS & SHIPBUILDERS LIMITED)
• South West Average: 88.7/100 (2 companies)

What Stands Out

While the supply chain sector's average PaymentCheck score of 58.9/100 is better than the UK average of 50.0/100, there's significant disparity, with some companies performing admirably and others dragging the sector down. The huge spread between the best (96.4) and worst (13.2) payers shows that sector-wide generalisations about payment practices aren't very helpful.

Best Payers

1. ANGEL LEASING COMPANY LIMITED - 96.4/100
2. ALD AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED - 93/100
3. RAIL FOR LONDON (INFRASTRUCTURE) LIMITED - 90.85/100
4. TENNANTS DISTRIBUTION LIMITED - 87.8/100
5. WELTON BIBBY AND BARON LIMITED - 84.4/100

Worst Payers

1. CAMMELL LAIRD SHIPREPAIRERS & SHIPBUILDERS LIMITED - 13.2/100
2. TRIVIUM PACKAGING UK LIMITED - 27/100
3. FIRTH RIXSON METALS LIMITED - 30.2/100
4. TGA INDUSTRIES LIMITED - 31.5/100
5. JCB CAB SYSTEMS LIMITED - 40.9/100

Regional Patterns

The South West, with an average score of 88.7/100, appears to be a haven for prompt payments, although the sample size of only two companies limits the conclusions we can draw. London sits in the middle, with an average score of 63.9/100 from five companies - not a disaster, but not setting any records. Yorkshire and the Humber's average of 56.8/100, based on seven companies, suggests slower payment habits than London.

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Takeaway: Despite the sector's average being 8.9 points above the national average, the massive 83.2-point difference between the highest and lowest scores proves suppliers must do their due diligence.

2025: The Story

Supply chain payment practices saw a modest but positive shift in 2025, with the average score climbing by 0.7 points to 58.9/100 among the 37 monitored companies. This slight improvement, however, masks significant volatility at the individual company level.

While companies like HANSON PACKED PRODUCTS LIMITED demonstrated strong progress, jumping 7.2 points to 43.4/100, others experienced sharp declines. GOODWOOD EVENTS COMPANY LIMITED, for instance, saw its score plummet by a substantial 28.8 points to 52.8/100, highlighting the challenges some businesses faced in maintaining payment standards. Even more concerning, CAMMELL LAIRD SHIPREPAIRERS & SHIPBUILDERS LIMITED dropped a significant 24.5 points, ending the year with a dismal 13.2/100. The data also welcomed high-performers such as ALD AUTOMOTIVE LIMITED, debuting with an impressive 93.0/100.

This year's landscape shows no single industry trend driving the overall score, but rather a diverse impact on companies ranging from events to automotive. Suppliers should carefully monitor individual company payment performance, particularly given the widening gap between the best and worst payers.