Rowland Brothers Funeral Directors

What Rowland Brothers Funeral Directors does

Rowland Brothers is a family-owned funeral services business headquartered at 299-303 Whitehorse Road in Croydon, Greater London, operating continuously under the Rowland family since 1873. The business serves bereaved families across Croydon and South London through eight physical branch locations (Croydon, Purley, Coulsdon, Warlingham, New Addington, Beddington, Thornton Heath, and West Wickham) and trades additionally under the Colin Fisher Funeral Directors and Selsdon & District Funeral Service brands. It also maintains a careers page and a separate e-commerce site (rowlandbrothersshop.com) for memorial merchandise.

The company offers a comprehensive end-of-life service portfolio spanning traditional, simple, eco-friendly, direct cremation, military, international repatriation, cryonics, and exhumation funerals, complemented by memorial masonry (headstones, kerb memorials, monoliths, urns), probate assistance, pre-paid funeral plans (FCA-authorised via Golden Leaves Limited, firm reference 960923), bereavement counselling through the Rowland Brothers Foundation, and post-funeral venue coordination at Botley Hill Barn and Farleigh Golf Club. Technology integration is limited to third-party SaaS: MuchLoved for online tribute pages, Zoom/Teams for virtual arrangements, crematorium livestreaming, and TrustIndex/Google for review aggregation. There is no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, no API, and no disclosed AI capability.

Revenue is generated through one-time fees on funeral arrangements and memorial products, recurring revenue from pre-paid funeral plan sales and administration, and ancillary income from probate services, venue partnerships, and bereavement support. The company operates a sales-led go-to-market motion anchored by direct in-branch consultation, a 24/7 telephone helpline (0800 0789 636), virtual arrangement meetings, and community-driven word-of-mouth referrals cultivated over 150+ years of local presence. Marketing relies on organic digital channels (Google My Business optimisation, educational blog content, customer reviews) and the Rowland Brothers Foundation rather than paid advertising. Industry memberships span NAFD, BIFD, NAMM, the International Order of the Golden Rule, and a founding-membership seat in the National Association for Pre-Paid Funeral Plans.

Name

Rowland Brothers Funeral Directors

Legal name

Rowland Brothers Limited

Website

https://rowlandbrothers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1873

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Rowland Brothers is a family-run funeral directors established in 1873, operating eight branches across Croydon and South London. It serves bereaved families and pre-planning individuals with traditional, eco-friendly, military, repatriation, and direct cremation services, plus memorial masonry, probate, and pre-paid funeral plans.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Death Care Services (8122)

akta.pro primary industry

Bereavement & Grief Support Services (Family Aftercare) (HSABAFAI)

Keywords

• Funeral directing services
• Cremation and burial
• International repatriation
• Memorial masonry
• Probate assistance

Headquarters

HQ city

Croydon

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Funeral Arrangement Services: One-time funeral arrangement fees covering the coordination and delivery of funeral services including traditional funerals, simple funerals, eco-friendly funerals, direct cremations, military funerals, and international repatriation services. Fees vary by service type and are quoted upon consultation.
2. Pre-Paid Funeral Plans: Rowland Brothers is an appointed representative of Golden Leaves Limited (FCA reference: 960923) for pre-paid funeral plans. This allows the company to sell and administer funeral plans in advance, providing recurring revenue through plan sales and ongoing administration fees.
3. Memorial Masonry Products: Sale of memorial products including headstones, double grave memorials, monolith memorials, churchyard memorials, kerb memorials, children's memorials, garden memorials, vases, and urns through their memorial masonry division.
4. Probate Services: Provision of probate services to assist families with estate administration following a death, offered as an additional service to funeral arrangement clients.
5. Funeral Receiving Venues: Revenue from exclusive venue partnerships including Botley Hill Barn and Farleigh Golf Club used for funeral receptions and wakes, which are offered as part of funeral arrangement packages.
6. Bereavement Support Services: The Rowland Brothers Foundation provides bereavement counselling and support services, which serve as a client retention and referral mechanism for future funeral services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Rowland Brothers Funeral Directors is a family-run funeral directing firm established in 1873 that arranges and conducts funerals, cremations, burials, international repatriations, and ancillary bereavement services for families in Greater London. The company sells standalone funeral packages (traditional, simple, eco-friendly, direct cremation, military), memorial masonry, pre-paid funeral plans, and probate assistance, operating eight branches with eight employees.

Product overview

Rowland Brothers Funeral Directors operates as a family-run funeral service provider established in 1873, offering a comprehensive portfolio of funeral-related products and services across Croydon and South London. The core offering includes Traditional, Simple, Eco-friendly, and Direct Cremation funeral services, complemented by specialized services such as Military Funerals, International Repatriation, Cryonics, and Exhumations. Additional offerings include Memorial Masonry (headstones, memorials, and monuments), Probate Services, and the Rowland Brothers Foundation for bereavement support. The company also provides pre-paid Funeral Plans and digital services including Obituaries and Online Tribute Pages. Funeral reception venues at Botley Hill Barn and Farleigh Golf Club complete the service ecosystem. The company is FCA authorized for funeral plan sales and holds membership in industry associations including the National Association of Funeral Directors and British Institute of Funeral Directors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Traditional Funeral A full-service, traditional funeral package including arrangements, ceremony, and transport, designed for bereaved families in Greater London seeking a conventional funeral format.
• Simple Funeral A simplified, lower-cost funeral package for families seeking a dignified but more economical alternative to a full traditional funeral.
• Eco-Friendly Funeral An environmentally conscious funeral option using sustainable practices and reduced-impact disposition methods, for families prioritising ecological considerations.
• Direct Cremation A cremation without a preceding ceremony, for families preferring a simple, no-fuss disposition or planning a separate memorial event.
• Military and State Funeral A specialist funeral service for armed forces veterans and state-honoured deceased, conducted with appropriate military honours and protocol.
• International Repatriation Repatriation of deceased persons across international borders, managing documentation, preparation, and transport for families whose loved one died abroad or is being sent abroad.
• Cryonics Transfer Specialist transfer of the deceased to a cryonics facility for low-temperature preservation, for families opting for cryopreservation over traditional burial or cremation.
• Exhumation Services Specialist exhumation services for the lawful disinterment of a deceased person, typically for reburial, forensic, or family-relocation reasons.
• Probate Assistance

Quantifiable outcome

• Customer satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars from 645 reviews

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Golden Leaves LimitedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerRowland Brothers is an appointed representative of Golden Leaves Limited, which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (Firm Reference Number 960923) for the sale and administration of pre-paid funeral plans. This is a core commercial partnership enabling the company to offer FCA-regulated funeral plans to its customers. Note: the company states this authorisation is for funeral plans only and does not extend to at-need funeral services.
• Funeral SafeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFuneral Safe operates as a funeral finance provider, offering spread-payment options for funeral costs. Rowland Brothers promotes Funeral Safe as a payment option on their website, allowing customers to finance funeral arrangements in the privacy of their own home.
• JustGivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJustGiving is integrated into the Rowland Brothers Foundation donation page, enabling supporters to make charitable donations in memory of deceased individuals. The company maintains an active JustGiving fundraising page for the foundation.
• Botley Hill BarnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive venue partnership for funeral receptions and wakes at Botley Hill Barn, a countryside venue. Rowland Brothers offers this as a recommended venue for families seeking a non-traditional wake location.
• Farleigh Golf ClubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVenue partnership for funeral receptions and wakes at Farleigh Golf Club, providing an alternative wake venue for families arranging funerals with Rowland Brothers.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Funeral Partners: Acquisitive UK funeral director group operating multiple regional brands. Comparable multi-branch funeral operator with similar service portfolio and community-anchored positioning, competing in the same end markets as Rowland Brothers.
• Pure Cremation: UK direct cremation specialist offering unattended cremation at low fixed prices. Direct competitor in the value end of the UK funeral market that is reshaping customer pricing expectations for traditional providers like Rowland Brothers.
• A.W. Lymn The Family Funeral Service: Long-established family-owned funeral director with multiple branches across the East Midlands. Comparable as a multi-generational family operator offering traditional funeral services, pre-paid plans, and memorial masonry.
• Leverton & Sons: Independent London funeral director with multiple branches in North London. Comparable multi-branch urban funeral operator with traditional service positioning serving a similar metropolitan customer base.
• Golden Charter: UK's leading dedicated pre-paid funeral plan provider and Rowland Brothers' principal partner for plan administration. Highly comparable in the FCA-regulated pre-paid funeral plan segment where Rowland Brothers derives recurring revenue.
• CPJ Field & Co: Long-established independent UK funeral director group. Comparable as a multi-branch family-rooted operator offering traditional funeral services, pre-paid plans, and memorial masonry.
• Freeman Brothers Funeral Directors: Independent South/South-East England funeral director with multi-branch coverage. Comparable regional multi-branch operator with traditional service mix and similar community positioning to Rowland Brothers.

Broad incumbents

• Co-op Funeralcare: Major UK funeral provider with a national branch network offering traditional funerals, direct cremation, and pre-paid plans. Comparable service mix but with much larger scale and broader geographic reach than Rowland Brothers.
• Dignity PLC: UK's largest listed funeral director network operating around 800 locations. Directly comparable in core funeral service offering, pre-paid plans, and crematoria, but operates at national scale well beyond Rowland Brothers' South London footprint.

Emerging players

• Simplicity Cremations: UK direct cremation provider offering simple unattended cremations. Emerging competitor in the value cremation segment that is attracting price-sensitive customers away from traditional funeral directors like Rowland Brothers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rowland-brothers

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Rowland Brothers Funeral Directors