Creditsafe data shows grocery chains paying suppliers faster during COVID-19 Pandemic.

Large Grocery chains taking a lead in getting bills paid and supporting their suppliers

Late payment delays drop by nearly 50%

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Apr 17, 2020, 09:27 ET

ALLENTOWN, Pa., April 17, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --

In these increasingly challenging times for the US economy, it is reassuring to see some good news with data showing supermarkets playing their part to keep their suppliers in good standing. Creditsafe's analytics unveils suppliers to this industry are now paid faster today than for the same period one year ago.

Traditionally, companies have tended to keep hold of their money in tough times, and it has become commonplace to see businesses deferring payments to suppliers. However, Creditsafe's analysis has shown that grocery chains are leading the way in improving payment speed.

DBT or 'Days beyond Terms' is a metric used by commercial credit reference agencies to evaluate a company's payment behavior. A recent analysis on millions of transactions shows an improvement from five days DBT to a figure below three, with that trend continuing to accelerate. The average DBT across the supermarket sector has almost halved from last year with significant shifts from the likes of Publix Supermarkets, Stop & Shop, Trader Joe's, and Winco. Also, more and more chains are ensuring that suppliers were paid on time or early.

Reviewing this latest data, Creditsafe CEO Matthew Debbage was quick to applaud the grocery chains for leading by example during this time. "It's fantastic to see these big household names stepping up to the plate," he commented. "While these big businesses have seen a cash boost from the buying surge of recent weeks, they have put this to good use by making sure their smaller suppliers are getting paid on time. They are literally putting much-needed cash into the hands of tens of thousands of often-small businesses, across a wide range of sectors, not just food suppliers, but also, for example, the trucking and logistics companies that keep grocery shelves stocked. By doing so, they are helping those businesses pay their suppliers, keep staff on the payroll and boost the wider economy."

"We are very encouraged to see the recent announcement from Walmart." Debbage continued, "To see they are committed to promptly paying their suppliers and with data from our analytics show that not only are they making good on that commitment, but it's a trend evident in the whole industry. It's amazing news not just for the suppliers but in the way this ripples through the wider community, and we want to applaud these companies for playing their part in relieving stress on the US economy."

Debbage revealed that the payment improvement discovery became obvious during Creditsafe's recent industry assessment into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on US businesses. The new COVID-19 Impact Score, which gauges the potential impact the current situation will have on individual companies and when used alongside the company's core credit score, will help business owners and other finance professionals make better business decisions. "While this and similar data all contribute to our wider understanding of the current situation, this particular movement just stood out for us, and we are delighted to be able to share it," he added.

For more information on Creditsafe's COVID-19 Impact Score, as well as to get complimentary access to Creditsafe's Stay Safe program visit https://www.creditsafe.com/stay-safe

About Creditsafe USA Creditsafe is the world's most-used supplier of company credit reports. Privately owned and independently minded, Creditsafe is looking to change the way business information is used by providing high-quality data in an easy to use format that everyone in an organization can benefit from. Creditsafe's global database is one of the most rapidly expanding in the industry and also one of the most comprehensive. Each day over 500,000 users around the world leverage the company's database to gather strategic, insightful business information. Creditsafe's database is updated over a million times a day with data collected from thousands of sources. In 99.9% of the cases, reports requested by customers are delivered instantly. Over forty percent of Creditsafe's customers leverage the company's internationally reporting capabilities.

SOURCE Creditsafe