In a press release Propel Funeral Partners of New Zealand announced a somewhat unusual acquisition.  Propel announced in July that they had completed the acquisition of Decra Art.

Decra Art is believed to be New Zealand’s largest monument and headstone manufacturer.  According to their website that you can access here, they stock approximately 7000 stones and are “able to manufacture almost any style headstone”.

Propel Funeral Partners is a publicly stock traded company based in Australia and currently operates from 198 locations in Australia and New Zealand, including 38 cremation facilities and 9 cemeteries.  You can access their website here.

Tom Anderson
Funeral Director Daily

Funeral Director Daily take:  While it is somewhat unusual for a funeral home and cemetery operating company to acquire a manufacturing business, this acquisition makes all of the sense in the world.  Propel Funeral Partners (PFP) will not only be able to extend their product offering line through a company owned monument dealership, but they will also hope to be able to leverage the relationships with other funeral homes that Decra Art has built up over their 50+ years of business.

On the flip side of that potential positivity for PFP, much like the Park Lawn Corporation sale to a preneed insurance provider, Propel will have to be patient and see what consequences that a supplier to cemeteries like Decra Art realizes now that they are aligned through ownership with one funeral home and cemetery company.  In simpler terms, will independent funeral homes and cemeteries still do business with Decra Art with the knowledge of knowing that Decra Art profits may be used to compete against those same funeral home and cemeteries by Propel Funeral Partners?

More news from the Lands Down Under —  “Water Cremation Aotearoa and Bell, Lamb and Trotter announce partnership”.  This article from Business.scoop tells of one of the oldest, most respected funeral providers in New Zealand partnering with one of the newest innovators in New Zealand.

Here is the website for Water Cremation Aotearoa

Here is the website for Bell, Lamb, and Trotter funeral directors

More news from the world of Death Care:

• Long live Death Tech:  The futuristic ways grieving people are memorializing their loved ones.  New York Post (NY)
• Don’t fear the Reaper:  The reason why a third of people can’t talk about death.  Radio podcast. WGN Radio Chicago (IL)
• Coalition letter to Congress to delay the Corporate Transparency Act’s filing date.  Signed by NFDA.  U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Philly’s first Baptist Church Cemetery remains– nearly 500 who died between 1707 and 1859 — were quietly reburied last week.  Philadelphia Inquirer (PA)
• National Cemetery set to open in Utah next year.  Video story and print article.  ABC 4 – Salt Lake City (UT)
• Remote worker sues for time spent logging in on computer (Headline only – payment requred for full access) – California Lawyer (CA)
• Police arrest three in latest probe into funeral industry’s handling of loved ones’ ashes.  The Mirror (Great Britain)

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