# How long do UK wholesale and retail trade companies take to pay suppliers?

Large UK wholesale and retail trade companies take a median of 37 days to pay supplier invoices, 6 days slower than the UK median of 31 days. The sector ranks 3 of 18, where 1 is the slowest payer.

Figures cover large UK companies paying all their suppliers.

- Median days to pay: 37 (UK: 31)
- Slowest-paying rank: 3 of 18
- Invoices paid late, median company: 15%
- Insolvencies, England and Wales, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026: 3,395
- Companies: 855

## Findings

- How many invoices are paid late? At the median company, 15% of invoices are paid late, the same as the UK figure of 15%.
- How long do most take? The middle half of companies pay in 28 to 47 days. A quarter take longer than 47 days.
- How many invoices go past 60 days? 8% of invoices take more than 60 days at the median company, against 5% across the UK.
- How many companies became insolvent? 3,395 wholesale and retail trade companies became insolvent in England and Wales over Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, rank 2 of 18 by number of cases. This is a count, not a rate.

## Where does wholesale and retail trade rank?

1. Manufacturing pays in a median of 45 days.
2. Water, sewerage and waste pays in a median of 37 days.
3. Wholesale and retail trade pays in a median of 37 days.
4. Accommodation and food service pays in a median of 36 days.
5. Transport and storage pays in a median of 35 days.
6. Construction pays in a median of 33 days.
7. Mining and quarrying pays in a median of 32 days.
8. Agriculture, forestry and fishing pays in a median of 31 days.
9. Other service activities pays in a median of 31 days.
10. Professional, scientific and technical pays in a median of 30 days.
11. Information and communication pays in a median of 29 days.
12. Arts, entertainment and recreation pays in a median of 28 days.
13. Administrative and support services pays in a median of 27 days.
14. Real estate pays in a median of 26.5 days.
15. Electricity and gas supply pays in a median of 26 days.
16. Human health and social work pays in a median of 26 days.
17. Education pays in a median of 25 days.
18. Financial and insurance pays in a median of 22 days.

## Which wholesale and retail trade trades pay slowest?

Wholesale of wine, beer, spirits and other alcoholic beverages is the slowest trade at 48 days. Wholesale of other fuels and related products is the fastest at 20 days.

| SIC | Trade | Median days | Middle half | Paid late | Firms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46342 | Wholesale of wine, beer, spirits and other alcoholic beverages | 48 | 36.5 to 57 | 30% | 23 |
| 46460 | Wholesale of pharmaceutical goods | 44 | 35.2 to 55.2 | 21% | 50 |
| 46900 | Non-specialised wholesale trade | 42.5 | 31.8 to 57.5 | 12% | 65 |
| 47710 | Retail sale of clothing in specialised stores | 37 | 26.5 to 53.5 | 22% | 32 |
| 47910 | Retail sale via mail order houses or via Internet | 36 | 25 to 49 | 13.5% | 25 |
| 47190 | Other retail sale in non-specialised stores | 36 | 33 to 43 | 14% | 33 |
| 47110 | Retail sale in non-specialised stores with food, beverages or tobacco predominating | 35 | 27.8 to 40.2 | 9% | 28 |
| 45111 | Sale of new cars and light motor vehicles | 31 | 25 to 37 | 11% | 127 |
| 46719 | Wholesale of other fuels and related products | 20 | 15 to 29 | 6% | 21 |

Businesses that sell to wholesale and retail trade companies can compare these figures with their own debtor days. Paidnice is [UK credit control software](https://www.paidnice.com/credit-control-software) that sends reminders and adds late fees on overdue invoices in Xero or QuickBooks. See [Paidnice for wholesalers](https://www.paidnice.com/industries/wholesale).

## Related guides

- [UK credit control software](https://www.paidnice.com/credit-control-software)
- [Credit control for UK small businesses](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/credit-control-software-uk-small-businesses)
- [What is credit control?](https://www.paidnice.com/dictionary/credit-control)
- [UK accounts receivable statistics](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics/united-kingdom)
- [Late payment interest calculator](https://www.paidnice.com/late-payment-interest-calculator)
- [Late payment fees in the UK](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/late-payment-fees-uk)
- [The UK late payment law changes](https://www.paidnice.com/blog/commercial-payments-bill-uk-late-payment-law)
- [Accounts receivable statistics](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-statistics)
- [Accounts receivable software](https://www.paidnice.com/accounts-receivable-software)

## Method and sources

This page reports how long large companies take to pay, from government payment filings. How long small businesses wait to be paid is a different measure on a different group of businesses, and it is on the accounts receivable statistics pages.

## Cite

Paidnice (2026). UK wholesale and retail trade payment times. https://www.paidnice.com/payment-times/uk/wholesale-and-retail. Source: UK payment practices filings (March 2025 to August 2026), Companies House, Insolvency Service.