Dignity plc
Dignity plc () is one of the UK's major funeral-related service providers and the only publicly-listed company within the country's funeral sector. It provides funeral services, cremations and pre-arranged funeral plans and is made up of the following brands: As a caring and responsible business, Dignity PLC is focused on delivering its core social purpose - helping people during one of the most difficult periods in their life. Its vision is to be the UK's leading end of life business by delivering the full spectrum of services, including funeral services, crematoria and cemeteries and  market-leading pre-arranged funeral plans. Dignity is committed to ensuring that people, who have lost someone, receive the best value-for-money combined with a quality and compassionate service. Through its Dignity Ventures subsidiary, the company also provides financial investment to other commercial enterprises within the funeral sector. At the same time, the organisation aims to be at the forefront of the funeral industry for quality, transparency, standards, choice and value for money. Having a dedicated workforce and being committed to responsible business practice enables Dignity to provide its clients with the best possible service. In the year ending  28 December 2020, turnover was £314.1m and profit before tax was £55.7m. The shareholder dividend payment stood at 46.6p per share. History. The business was created in 1994 through the merger of Plantsbrook Group and Great Southern Group, both of which companies had been acquired by Service Corporation International Inc earlier that year. In 2002 the merged business was the subject of a management buyout from Service Corporation International Inc. The merger brought together a number of funeral service businesses. Dignity is an established organisation, with an extensive history that dates back to 1812. Its rich  and lengthy heritage enables it to provide funeral services that are underpinned by unparalleled local knowledge and expertise. There are currently 795 Dignity Funeral Directors across the UK. Several mergers and organic growth have brought together a number of historic funeral businesses, private cemeteries and crematoria over the years, including: Dignity PLC today The company has maintained the rich heritage of all of the funeral businesses listed above by employing local people, who are familiar with local customs and traditions. All of Dignity’s clients are treated with compassion, respect, openness and care at all times. In the meantime, Dignity  continues to lead the way in setting the highest standards for the UK funeral sector by providing the best possible service and reducing its environmental impact. It continuously monitors its services, premises and vehicles to make sure they are of the highest quality. Working with the Government, Dignity is proactively striving for better regulation and higher standards within the industry. Operations. Dignity provides funeral services, cremations and pre-arranged funerals UK-wide through three separate brands. 1. Funeral services Dignity Funerals provides families with access to its national network of Funeral Directors, who are on hand to help them arrange  a service that’s tailored to their specific requirements and budget. It is committed to reduce the environmental impact of these services, and has invested £7million in its crematoria as part of its sustainability agenda and Government directive to reduce mercury emissions. 2. Crematoria The Crematorium and Memorial Group is the largest single independent operator of crematoria in the UK. It has a wide portfolio of highly established state-of-the-art facilities, designed to meet the needs of the local community. In 2016, Dignity launched its own direct cremation business, Simplicity Cremations, in response to increasing competition and  changing consumer behaviour. The service provides less traditional, lower cost direct cremation options, involving family-led funerals. Families can arrange these services, which are underpinned by Dignity’s high standards and national infrastructure of mortuaries and crematoria, via the website or over the phone. 3. Pre-arranged funerals The company has led from the forefront, working alongside consumer group, Fairer Finance, to conduct research into the pre-paid funeral market. Through the research, Dignity has been able to feed into the Treasury Review. As a result of this, for the first time ever, the funeral industry will now be FCA -regulated from June 2022. Quality assurance Committed to providing all of its clients with the highest quality services, Dignity continuously monitors customer satisfaction levels via dedicated client surveys. Over the last five years, it has received 160,000 completed surveys that have reflected a consistently high satisfaction rating. The surveys also enable Dignity to identify any areas in which it can improve and add value. Key takeaways from Dignity’s 2020 client survey, include: