What is a local independent funeral director and why choose one?
Until recently, most funeral directors in the UK were family-owned businesses passionately serving the people within their local communities. However, in recent years, larger corporations have been buying up local funeral director businesses, often when the owner retires.
Thankfully, there are still many independent funeral directors in the UK, which are small, privately-owned businesses that are run by their owners rather than conglomerates. Frequently, independent funeral directors are family-run businesses that can trace their roots back through the history of their local communities.
How does an independent funeral director become listed on our site?
Independent funeral directors who are members of the trade association SAIF, NAFD and/or IAFD can be listed on localfuneral.co.uk.
Those wishing to be displayed on the site can request a listing by contacting support@localfuneral.co.uk.
The benefits of independent funeral directors
Generally, independent funeral directors are owned and managed by a small, hands-on, team of people that work in and around a small number of local branches. This 'family-business' ethos makes the quality of service a matter of personal pride for independent funeral directors.
Many independent funeral directors have been in business for generations, serving the communities that they belong to. They have connections with the families in their towns going back decades and are well known to local people. Word of mouth, relying on consistently good customer service, is crucial to their continued success.
Without the pressure of corporate targets, as a local service built on smaller teams, independent funeral directors can also offer a more personal and friendly approach to customers. They can take the time to get to know their customers and provide individual support to anyone who walks through their door. Dealing with a single point of contact throughout funeral planning to the funeral service and beyond is the norm at an independent funeral director.
Finding an independent funeral director
Amongst the most recognisable funeral directors in the UK are The Co-operative Funeralcare and Dignity - neither of which is independent. Although it's easy to spot a Co-operative funeral director, it's not always easy to be able to tell the difference between an independent funeral director and those belonging to other large national chains.
Often, when a corporation buys up a smaller funeral director's business, they keep the original name because they know customers trust the well-established reputation of an old family firm. It's not uncommon for customers to engage what they believe to be their local, family-run funeral director business only to discover later it was in fact a corporate company.
All of the funeral directors that you'll find listed on localfuneral.co.uk are independent. Many are long-standing, family-run businesses, and all can provide a modern, compassionate and professional service, before, during and after the funeral service. By searching on localfuneral.co.uk you can find a local, independent funeral director near you.