What Pure Cremation does

Pure Cremation is a UK direct cremation specialist headquartered in Andover, Hampshire, founded in 2017 (with firmographic records also referencing 2015). The company operates two owned crematoria — Charlton Park Crematorium in Hampshire (set in 10 acres of parkland) and Barnby Moor Crematorium in Retford — along with a national driver fleet for collection of the deceased and hand-delivery of ashes across mainland Britain. Scottish operations are delivered through partner crematoria (Clyde Coast and Garnock Valley Crematorium, The Hurlet Crematorium) due to Scotland's separate regulatory environment. Northern Ireland is not served. Technology differentiators include a proprietary ceramic identification disc that survives cremation and is included with the returned urn to verify ash identity, a hospital-standard care tracking system providing visibility into the deceased's journey, and modern filtration/cremation equipment at owned facilities.

The core revenue model blends recurring pre-paid plan subscriptions with at-need direct cremation services. Plans are sold as a single payment (from £2,095) or multi-year instalments (12-, 24-, 60-, and 120-month options), authorised and regulated by the FCA under Pure Cremation Funeral Planning Limited (FRN 965260), with customer funds held in a trust and — uniquely in the UK market — reinsured by Munich Re. At-need cremation services include collection, a solid cedar coffin, cremation, and ash return in an urn, with optional attended farewell ceremonies from £395 (small room, up to 12 people) and from £665 (ceremonial hall, up to 100 people). Distribution is direct-to-consumer via phone-based inside sales, an e-commerce website with a self-service quote and purchase journey, and content-led demand generation (funeral costs calculator, free guides, SEO). Ancillary offerings include 'A Fine Farewell,' an AI-powered celebration-of-life planning tool.

Pure Cremation is owned by UK private equity firm Epiris, which acquired the company in 2023 for approximately 3.785 billion yuan (c. £400M+), setting a European funeral industry M&A record. A secondary sale process was reported in November 2025, with an unnamed Chinese PE firm bidding approximately 6.6 billion yuan. The wider Pure Group of Companies includes Pure Cremation Funeral Planning Limited and Pure Life Financial Services Limited and employs approximately 360 people. The Pure Cremation Funeral Plan Trust reported a £21.1M surplus and 115.9% funding level as of December 2025.

Name

Pure Cremation

Legal name

Pure Cremation Limited

Website

https://purecremation.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Pure Cremation is a UK direct cremation specialist operating two owned crematoria and a pre-paid funeral plan business authorised by the FCA (FRN 965260), serving thousands of British families with affordable cremation plans and at-need services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Direct Cremation and Funeral Plan Services

NAICS

Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (81221)

akta.pro primary industry

Post-Death/Unattended Death Cleanup (HSAEAHAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Remains & Medical Specimens Forwarding (TLACAJAE)

Keywords

• Direct cremation services
• Prepaid funeral plans
• Cremation facilities
• Funeral cost savings
• Bereavement care services

Headquarters

HQ city

Andover

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Funeral Plan Subscriptions: Pre-paid funeral plans sold as single payments or monthly instalments. Customers pay upfront or over time to secure guaranteed cremation services at today's prices, protecting against future price increases. Plans are FCA regulated and held in trust.
2. At-Need Cremation Services: When someone passes away without a pre-paid plan, families can arrange a cremation immediately by contacting Pure Cremation directly, paying cremation fees at the time of need. Services include collection, cremation, and ash return.
3. Attended Cremation Options: Optional paid add-on for families who wish to attend a farewell ceremony at Pure's crematoria. Prices start from £395 for smaller rooms (up to 12 people) and from £665 for large ceremonial halls (up to 100 people).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Pure Cremation is a UK funeral services company that sells pre-paid funeral plans (payable as a lump sum or monthly instalments) and provides direct cremation services with collection of the deceased, cremation at owned crematoria, and hand-delivery of ashes in an urn. The company operates its own crematoria (Charlton Park in Andover and Barnby Moor in Retford), differentiates with an all-inclusive pricing promise (Pure Price Promise), and uses a unique ceramic identification disc to verify ash identity for families.

Product overview

Pure Cremation operates as a direct cremation service provider offering a unified portfolio centered on affordable, guaranteed direct cremation. The core offering consists of the Pure Cremation Funeral Plan (a prepaid plan available via single payment or instalments) and the Direct Cremation Service itself, which handles the complete cremation process from collection through ashes return. The company differentiates through ownership of its own crematoria (Charlton Park Crematorium in Hampshire and Barnby Moor Crematorium in Retford), enabling end-to-end continuity of care. Supplementary offerings include an Arrange a Funeral service for immediate needs, a Funeral Costs Calculator tool, and a suite of free educational guides covering funeral planning, celebration of life ideas, grief support, and practical next steps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Pure Cremation Funeral Plan: Britain's bestselling funeral plan offering direct cremation services at an affordable price
• Pure Price Promise
• Pure Care Companion
• Charlton Park Crematorium
• A Fine Farewell

Products and services

• Pure Cremation Funeral Plan A prepaid direct cremation plan that guarantees 100% coverage of funeral costs with no hidden extras. Available as a single payment or monthly instalments, with funds held in an independent trust and reinsured by Munich Re. For adults aged 18+ planning ahead to protect families from rising funeral costs.
• Direct Cremation Service Unattended cremation service with no formal ceremony at the crematorium, including private ambulance collection, solid wood cedar coffin, ceramic identification disc, cremation at company-owned crematoria, and hand-delivery of ashes in an urn to loved ones. For bereaved families seeking a simple, dignified, low-cost cremation.
• Arrange a Funeral Service 24/7 funeral arrangement service for families who need immediate assistance after a death, with or without a pre-paid plan. Handles collection of the deceased from hospital or home, cremation arrangements, and return of ashes across mainland Britain.
• Charlton Park Crematorium The company's flagship crematorium in Hampshire, set within 10 acres of mature parkland, featuring state-of-the-art cremation and filtration equipment, a ceremonial hall for up to 100 attendees, and smaller farewell rooms for up to 12 people. Serves clients from England and Wales.
• Barnby Moor Crematorium The company's second owned crematorium located in Retford, England, used for unattended cremations, expanding geographic coverage and operational capacity.
• Funeral Costs Calculator Free online calculator that estimates the average cost of traditional funerals in the user's area and compares potential savings versus Pure Cremation's direct cremation service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Saves over £2,000 compared to traditional funeral costs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• The Marketing Lounge Partnership LimitedminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2026External marketing partner that manages Pure Cremation's gift card promotional offers. MLP is the data processor for fulfillment of gift card rewards to qualifying customers who purchase funeral plans. Handles the 'How to Claim' process and gift card fulfillment via email or post.
• Clyde Coast and Garnock Valley CrematoriumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner crematorium in Scotland where unattended cremations take place for clients who pass away in Scotland. Pure Cremation uses this facility due to different regulatory requirements in Scotland. Cremations are performed by dedicated staff who treat everyone with dignified, respectful care.
• The Hurlet CrematoriumcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner crematorium in Scotland where unattended cremations take place for Scottish clients. This is one of two partner facilities used to serve the Scottish market due to different rules and regulations in Scotland compared to England and Wales.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Golden Charter: One of the UK's largest pre-paid funeral plan providers, working through a network of independent funeral directors. Direct peer to Pure Cremation's funeral plan business with overlapping FCA-regulated pre-paid plan offerings and a similar target customer (pre-planning adults).
• Distinct Cremations: A direct cremation provider offering unattended cremation services across the UK with transparent pricing. Direct peer competing head-to-head with Pure Cremation on simple, low-cost unattended cremation for bereaved families.
• Poppy's Funerals: A UK direct cremation provider offering simple, affordable unattended cremation with transparent all-inclusive pricing. Direct competitor in the same unattended cremation niche that Pure Cremation created and leads.
• Budget Funerals: A UK low-cost funeral director providing affordable direct cremation and simple funeral services. Targets the same price-sensitive bereaved families and pre-planners as Pure Cremation's value-tier offering.
• Simplicity Cremations: UK-focused direct cremation specialist offering unattended cremation services and pre-paid direct cremation plans. Closest pure-play direct competitor to Pure Cremation with a similar value proposition targeting cost-conscious pre-planners and bereaved families.

Others

• Rising Cost of Funerals (SunLife): SunLife's annual Cost of Dying report is a key UK data source on funeral pricing and consumer behaviour, used alongside Pure Cremation's own Cost of Funerals Index to size the addressable market and benchmark savings claims.

Broad incumbents

• Co-op Funeralcare: The UK's largest funeral director network, part of the Co-operative Group. Operates a national chain of funeral homes and offers pre-paid funeral plans, making it a direct competitor for both at-need services and pre-paid plan customers in the same UK market Pure Cremation serves.
• Dignity plc: One of the UK's largest listed funeral operators and pre-paid funeral plan providers. Broad incumbent in death care with overlapping funeral plan products and a national crematoria/branch network; comparable to Pure Cremation on plan regulation, pre-paid funding, and brand-led direct cremation competition.
• Funeral Partners Ltd: A major UK funeral director group operating hundreds of branches, owned by a private equity sponsor. Overlaps with Pure Cremation on pre-paid plan distribution and at-need service, and competes as a scaled incumbent in the broader death care category.

Emerging players

• Beyond (Australia): An Australian direct cremation start-up with a digital-first, transparent-pricing model comparable to Pure Cremation's value proposition. Indicative of the global pattern of direct cremation disruptors following the same playbook Pure Cremation has executed in the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/follow
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWbLbFc1--VFPbDkYZ8DuAg
• Facebookfacebook.com/purecremation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pure-cremation-ltd
• Instagraminstagram.com/pure_cremation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Pure Cremation