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West Midlands Payment Practices Report 2021

•By PaymentCheck•Reports

West Midlands Businesses Show Stronger Payment Performance Than National Average

The Numbers

  • Companies analysed: 426
  • Average PaymentCheck Score: 61.0/100
  • UK average: 50.0/100
  • West Midlands Outperformance: 11.0 points
  • Top Score: 100/100 (DPD Local UK Ltd & Sanderson Asset Management LLP)
  • Lowest Score: 10.8/100 (CMBC Supply Limited)

What Stands Out

West Midlands firms, on average, exhibited notably better payment practices than the rest of the UK in 2021, according to our PaymentCheck scores. This suggests a potentially healthier economic environment or stronger payment cultures within the region, though it's worth noting the range is wide, with some companies performing significantly worse than others.

Best Payers

The top performers, achieving near-perfect scores, include:

  1. DPD LOCAL UK LTD - 100/100
  2. SANDERSON ASSET MANAGEMENT LLP - 100/100
  3. EXACT MORTGAGE EXPERTS LIMITED - 99.8/100
  4. CLICK TRAVEL LTD - 99.8/100
  5. EPYX LIMITED - 99.7/100

These companies demonstrate a clear commitment to prompt payment, potentially building stronger relationships with their suppliers.

Worst Payers

At the other end of the spectrum, several companies lagged considerably:

  1. CMBC SUPPLY LIMITED - 10.8/100
  2. WESTBRIDGE FOODS LIMITED - 18.5/100
  3. LONDON EV COMPANY LIMITED - 20/100
  4. AMERICOLD WHITCHURCH LTD - 21.3/100
  5. MELITTA UK LTD - 22.2/100

These scores suggest potential cash flow issues or a disregard for timely payments, which could negatively impact their suppliers and the broader supply chain. If your business is struggling with late payments, consider using our free late payment calculator.

Sector Breakdown

The sector breakdown, while based on a relatively small number of companies in certain areas, reveals some interesting trends:

  • Hardware: 98.9 avg (1 company)
  • Media And Publishing: 92.5 avg (1 company)
  • Human Resources: 86.3 avg (4 companies)
  • Energy: 84.0 avg (8 companies)
  • Data: 82.5 avg (2 companies)

The data indicates Hardware and Media sectors were very strong, but this is less significant given the small sample size. Human resources, Energy, and Data also had good scores, which are more relevant because of a higher sample size.

The West Midlands' payment performance in 2021 is a mixed bag, with an overall average 11 points higher than the UK, but a worrying bottom 5 averaging a score below 20.