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Funeral group Dignity hits loss of nearly £50m, considering introducing a surcharge on cremations to cushion impact of higher fuel costs
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Funeral group Dignity has suffered a loss of nearly £50 million and is considering introducing a surcharge on cremations to cushion the impact of higher fuel costs.
The group, which owns more than 800 funeral homes, said turnover fell by £8.6m due to a lower death rate – with nearly 400,000 fewer deaths in the first three months of 2022 compared to the same period last year due to the pandemic .
Plans: Dignity, which owns more than 800 funeral homes, said sales fell £8.6m due to lower death rate
It had a loss of £48 million in the first half of the year, a big drop from the £41 million profit reported a year ago.
Dignity changed its prices and introduced cheaper funerals, such as direct cremations, which it said contributed to the decline in profits and sales.
It has more than 400 job openings and this shortage has led to a wider gap between the time of death and the funeral service, which has had an impact on business.
The company is considering a fuel surcharge, but declined to comment on the details.
It is thought that this could lead to more expensive cremations.