Dignity Group is a funeral-related service provider in the United Kingdom.
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
A management buyout (MBO) is a form of acquisition in which a company's existing managers acquire a large part, or all, of the company, whether from a parent company or individual. Management- and/or leveraged buyouts became noted phenomena of 19 ...
from Service Corporation International Inc. The merger brought together a number of funeral service businesses.
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:
* George S Munn,
Glasgow
Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
– 1812
* Francis Chappell & Sons,
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
– 1840
* J Rymer,
York
York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
– 1848
* Ginns & Gutteridge, Leicestershire – 1855
* Lawrence Funeral Service,
Halifax – 1857
* E Finch & Sons,
Aldershot
Aldershot ( ) is a town in the Rushmoor district, Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme north-east corner of the county, south-west of London. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Farnborough/Aldershot built-up are ...
– 1857
*
Beckenham Cemetery, Kent – 1876
* J H Kenyon, London – 1880
* Frederick W Paine, London – 1884
*
Perry Barr Crematorium, Birmingham – 1903
* John Bardgett & Son,
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne, or simply Newcastle ( , Received Pronunciation, RP: ), is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is England's northernmost metropolitan borough, located o ...
– 1914
* Jonathan Harvey, Glasgow – 1928
*
South London Crematorium – 1930
* Seaford & Newhaven Funeral Service, East Sussex – 1950
In January 2023, the board agreed to accept an offer for the company from a consortium of investors including SPWOne V Ltd, Castelnau Group and Phoenix Asset Management.
Operations
Dignity provides funeral services, cremations and pre-arranged funerals UK-wide through three separate brands:
* Dignity Funeral Services
* The Crematorium and Memorial Group
* Simplicity Cremations
References
External links
Official siteDignity Funeral PlansSimplicity Cremations
{{Authority control
Funeral-related companies of the United Kingdom
British companies established in 1994
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
Companies based in Birmingham, West Midlands