SWW Conference Insight 2018 | Page 16

The Co-op Difference We’re one of the world’s largest consumer co-operatives, owned by our members. Our purpose is to ‘Champion a better way of doing business for you and your communities’. We seek to set high ethical and sustainability standards across our products, services and operations. Doing Right by You We are the UK’s leading Funeral Director, conducting over 100,000 funerals every year and providing funeral plans for more than 45,000 clients. With over 80 years of experience in funeral planning and more than 1,000 funeral homes across the UK, we’re in the heart of local communities. At Co-op Funeralcare this means we are fully supportive of the Treasury who are seeking to regulate the provision of pre-paid funeral plans, calling for all plan providers to meet a set of minimum standards, including: transparency on commission and investment, a ban on misleading customers and a ban on bad sales practices. Co-op has already been recognised by the Fairer Finance report for a number of initiatives including, removing staff sales incentives on plans, for publishing details of the health of funeral plan funds and offering enhanced cover and financial protection for customers. We are well placed to accommodate any reforms that may be made to regulate this market.