Co-op joins the price war in the funeral industry

Increased competition in the funeral sector, with the Co-op looking to bury its rivals by offering cheaper funerals. The average price of a funeral is falling, with customers opting for no-frills coffins, perhaps reflecting changing consumer tastes.

It also hints at the fact that, previously, the nature of the market saw incumbents exploit relatively inelastic consumer demand for funerals.

The UK Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating the sector as prices of funerals have grown much more quickly than overall inflation in recent years.