“The situation is difficult. I just don’t panic because it is not the first time we are going through a crisis, and it will not be the last time, but it is difficult for me because I have had to pay salaries in installments pay.” “For the past two months, I have had money on the street with which we could pay salaries until January or longer,” an industrial entrepreneur from the North told Dinheiro Vivo, who prefers not to identify himself so as not to jeopardize the support of the banks . needed. It is just one of many cases where small and medium-sized industrial companies encounter difficulties in receiving payments for production already made and delivered.
The withdrawal of European consumers is the main cause of the problems in sectors such as fashion, but not only. The latest data from the Informa D&B Payments Barometer, covering October, shows that in Portugal the average number of payment days, in addition to deadlines agreed with suppliers, is 22.7 days, with the transport sector being the worst payer, with an average 30.6 days late and only 11.6% of companies meet the agreed deadlines.
The best payer is the retail sector: 22% of companies comply and the rest register an average of 18.7 days of delay. Also worth mentioning are sectors such as real estate activities, the accommodation and catering sector, business services and general services, where the average payment period after the agreed term varies from 23.8 to 28 days. In industry this is 22.5 days longer.
These are data from the national market, prepared based on the payment terms of public and private business entities. But the problem is broader, in several European countries. Another businessman contacted by DV admits: “The year is not over yet, but it will certainly be the best turnover I have ever had, the problem is collecting it. Yesterday we received money from a production that was made in June,” he explains. “When quantities sold decrease, the side effect is delays in payments. Unfortunately, this is a cross-cutting situation and there is little more to do than activate credit insurance,” says another.
Source: DN
