| The
UK funeral market is currently estimated to be worth around £1billion
annually, with over 600,000 funerals taking place each year. There are
an estimated 4,000 funeral directors at present offering services, but
exact numbers are difficult to pinpoint as the profession is unregulated
and anyone can enter it.
Prices
can and do vary enormously between not just regions but between individual
homes within the same area, so comparing like for like quotes is strongly
recommended to anyone requiring funeral related services. Funeral director
businesses range from part time, sideline ventures to (small to medium
groups) through to international corporations. One of the main criticisms
of the industry by watchdogs and other groups is that funeral homes are
not being totally clear as to their true ownership, hence the reason many
traditional family business names still exist even though they may have
been acquired by larger groups
.
There
are various trade associations with their own strict "Code of Practice"
which their members are bound by as well as an independent ombudsman (Professor
Geoffrey Woodroffe of the Funeral Ombudsman Scheme FOS). The vast majority
of funeral homes are members of 1 or more of these associations and schemes,
however their is no law to insist on membership of any.
The
funeral market in the UK has 2 industry leaders, The Co-operative Group
(CWS Ltd) and Dignity Caring Funeral Services (Dignity Plc). The
Co-operative Group (CWS Ltd) has over 675 branches across the UK and conduct
around 90,000 funerals a year. They also own the North Eastern Co-operative.
Dignity have just over 500 branches and conduct 75,000 funeral a year.
Between these 2 companies, they are currently involved in over 25% of all
funerals in the UK.
There
are several other large groups with large numbers of funerals homes.
These are different Co-op Groups (mainly regional co-op's) The Midland
Co-operative Society, Southern Co-operative Society, United Co-operative
Society, Yorkshire Co-operative Society, Lincoln Co-operative Society,
Leeds Co-operative Society, Oxford, Swindon & Gloucester Co-operative
Society, Heart Of England Co-operative Society, Anglia Regional Co-operative
Society, Chelmsford Star Co-operative Society.
There
are also several privately owned companies who are conducting large numbers
of funerals in the UK. |
