According to an Evening Express article which you can read here, Co-operative Funeralcare of the United Kingdom ratcheted up their price guarantee this week by extending that guarantee to all funeral plans in the United Kingdom.  Earlier in September they promised to beat all quotes for funeral costs on a “like-for like” basis.  The new guarantee brings that promise to all competitor quotes.

Co-operative Funeralcare is believed to have about 16% of all of the UK’s funeral services – a percentage that makes it the leading provider in the country.  Competitor Dignity is thought to have about 14% of the market share.  To compare, Service Corporation International (SCI) is thought to have about the same percentage – 15% of the USA market.

Funeral Director Daily take:  It is interesting to follow the competitive nature of these two firms in the UK.  It is much different than the firms in America as these two large firms are on a quest to take funeral care nationwide with branded names.  While SCI is thought to have about the same percentage of national scale, they do so without the branded name of either of the CO-op or Dignity in the UK.  We expect to see the acquisition market heat up in the UK as these firms will look for a greater number of services to bolster operations now that they have lowered prices.

It appears that part of the plan of Co-operative Funeralcare is lower prices for consumers and the idea that even pre-arrangements will have this lower price point as a guarantee.  If you remember, Dignity has already lowered its price as part of its business blueprint.

It should also be noted that funeral costs in the UK have been threatened to come under regulatory pressure in this area and another provider, Pure Cremation, has entered the low cost market also.

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