Austin Funeral Directors
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1700
- HeadquartersStevenage, United Kingdom
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Austin Funeral Directors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Austin Funeral Directors
- Legal name
- Austin's Funeral Directors
- Website
- https://austins.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1700
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Austin Funeral Directors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Funeral Services
- NAICS
- Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (81221), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Cemeteries and Crematories (81222), Death Care Services (8122)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Final Expense / Burial Life Insurance (FSAIABAF)
Keywords
Where Austin Funeral Directors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stevenage
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices13 records
Markets served
Austin Funeral Directors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Funeral Services: Full-service funeral arrangements including hearse transport, coffin selection, ceremony planning, and day-of-service coordination. Primary revenue stream from traditional funeral services.
- Funeral Plans: Three funeral plan options offered through Ecclesiastical Planning Services. Plans can be purchased for self or others, personalised, done jointly, with monthly payment options.
- Cremation Services: Cremation services through Harwood Park Crematorium, owned and operated by the Austin family since 1997.
- Direct Cremations: Simple cremation without ceremony offered through Harwood Cremations brand.
- Memorial Services: Memorial dove release, celebration of life events, balloon releases, funeral stationery, floral tributes.
- Catering Services: Funeral catering arrangements including refreshments following funeral services at home or chosen venue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Primary Charges - Essential funeral components |
| Subscription | Monthly | Three funeral plan options |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
Austin Funeral Directors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Austin's Funeral Directors is a family-owned funeral service provider operating 12 offices across Hertfordshire. The company arranges traditional funerals, cremations (including direct cremations under the Harwood Cremations brand), and burials (including natural burials at its 25-acre Natural Burial Park), and offers pre-paid funeral plans through Ecclesiastical Planning Services alongside memorial products such as dove releases, floral tributes, and funeral stationery.
Product overview
Austin Funeral Directors is a family-owned funeral service provider operating 12 offices across Hertfordshire since the 1700s. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio centered on traditional funeral services and direct cremations through its Harwood Cremations brand. Related offerings include a natural burial park at Harwood Park (25 acres), the family-owned Harwood Park Crematorium & Memorial Gardens, memorial dove release, diverse funeral vehicles (motorcycle hearses, VW camper vans, horse-drawn hearses), funeral stationery, music services, celebration of life events, and floral tributes via Daizy Flowers. The company also provides pre-paid funeral plans through Ecclesiastical Planning Services and educational resources including the Little Green Book guide and its audio version voiced by Dame Joanna Lumley.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Harwood Park Crematorium & Memorial Gardens: Owned and operated by the Austin family, Harwood Park Crematorium and Memorial Gardens is located on the south side of Stevenage, serving funerals arranged at any of Austin's offices.
- Natural Burial Park
- Harwood Cremations
Products and services
- Traditional Funeral Services
- Direct Cremations (Harwood Cremations)
- Natural Burial Park
- Harwood Park Crematorium & Memorial Gardens
- Three Funeral Plans
- Memorial Dove Release
- Funeral Vehicles
- Chapels of Rest
- Floral Tributes
- Funeral Catering
Companies that use Austin Funeral Directors
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Austin Funeral Directors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Austin Funeral Directors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Garden House Hospice CarecoreAustin’s Charity of the Year for 2026. Provides specialist palliative and end of life care for patients and families across North Hertfordshire. Austin's donates proportion of annual profits and raises funds through events.
- Young Lives vs CancercoreAustin’s Charity of the Year for 2025. Helps young people and families face cancer. Provides day-to-day support, financial support, Homes from Home accommodation, bereavement support and campaigns for policy changes.
- Ecclesiastical Planning ServicescoreFuneral plan provider for Austin's three funeral plan options. Plans can be purchased online through their platform. Plans are personalised, can be done jointly, and offer monthly payment options.
- Daizy FlowersminorFlorist partner providing stunning range of floral tributes designed and created exclusively for Austin's. Collection available to view and order online through Daizy website.
- Teens UniteminorAustin’s Charity of the Year 2023. Charity-minded organisation supporting teens facing cancer.
- Road Victims TrustminorCharitable recipient of donation from Harwood Park Crematorium. Supports road traffic collision victims.
- Stevenage Football ClubminorAustin sponsors The Austin Stand at Stevenage Football Club grounds.
- Cruse Bereavement CareminorReferenced for grief support guidance in blog content on supporting bereaved families.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Austin Funeral Directors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dignity plc: The UK's largest listed funeral services provider operating over 800 funeral locations and more than 40 crematoria. Direct peer to Austin's in traditional funeral directing, cremation, and pre-paid funeral plans, but at materially larger national scale.
- GreenAcres Group: UK operator of natural burial grounds and memorial parks. Directly comparable to Austin's Natural Burial Park at Harwood Park, representing the same eco-burial niche at greater geographic scale across multiple UK sites.
- Funeral Partners: UK funeral director group operating a large network of branches across the country. Comparable to Austin's as a multi-branch funeral services operator providing traditional funerals, cremations, and pre-paid plans, but at greater scale and as part of a private-equity-backed group.
- Co-op Funeralcare: One of the UK's largest funeral directors with roughly 1,000 funeral homes nationwide. Comparable to Austin's as a full-service funeral director offering traditional funerals, cremations, and pre-paid plans, with a strong regional branch network model.
- Pure Cremation: UK direct cremation specialist offering unattended cremations at a fixed price. Competes directly with Austin's Harwood Cremations brand for price-sensitive customers and represents the digital-first low-cost segment of the market Austin's must defend against.
- Westerleigh Group: One of the UK's largest independent operators of crematoria and cemeteries, with over 40 sites. Comparable to Austin's through its ownership and operation of crematoria and memorial grounds, particularly relevant to Austin's Harwood Park crematorium and Natural Burial Park assets.
Broad incumbents
- Golden Charter: UK's largest provider of pre-paid funeral plans, partnering with thousands of independent funeral directors. Comparable to Austin's through the Ecclesiastical Planning Services partnership for funeral plans, and represents a larger incumbent alternative in the plan provider space.
- Ecclesiastical Planning Services: UK funeral plan provider and existing partner of Austin's for its three funeral plan options. Comparable in the pre-paid funeral plan space and a relevant peer given the existing commercial relationship and similar customer base.
Emerging players
- Poppy's Funerals: UK modern, customer-focused funeral director with strong digital presence and transparent pricing. Comparable to Austin's as a contemporary funeral services brand targeting UK families, though operating at a different scale and with a more digitally-led go-to-market model.
- Beyond (Beyond Life): UK digital-first direct cremation and funeral planning provider. Comparable to Austin's in the direct cremation and pre-paid plan segments but operates as a technology-led emerging player with lower cost positioning versus traditional funeral directors.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Austin Funeral Directors social profiles
Digital presenceAustin Funeral Directors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Austin Funeral Directors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Austin Funeral Directors subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Austin Funeral Directors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Austin Funeral Directors M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Austin Funeral Directors
What does Austin Funeral Directors do?
Austin's Funeral Directors is a family-owned funeral service provider operating 12 offices across Hertfordshire. The company arranges traditional funerals, cremations (including direct cremations under the Harwood Cremations brand), and burials (including natural burials at its 25-acre Natural Burial Park), and offers pre-paid funeral plans through Ecclesiastical Planning Services alongside memorial products such as dove releases, floral tributes, and funeral stationery.
Is Austin Funeral Directors a public or private company?
Austin Funeral Directors is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Austin Funeral Directors founded?
Austin Funeral Directors was founded in 1700.
Where is Austin Funeral Directors based?
Austin Funeral Directors is headquartered in Stevenage, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Austin Funeral Directors make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Funeral Services are the primary driver. The others are funeral Plans, cremation Services, direct Cremations, memorial Services and catering Services.
Who are Austin Funeral Directors's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dignity plc, GreenAcres Group, Funeral Partners, Co-op Funeralcare, Pure Cremation and Westerleigh Group. Broad incumbents are Golden Charter and Ecclesiastical Planning Services. Emerging players are Poppy's Funerals and Beyond (Beyond Life).
Does Austin Funeral Directors have an API?
No public API is recorded for Austin Funeral Directors.
What industry is Austin Funeral Directors in?
Austin Funeral Directors's product category is Funeral Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAFAEAO, Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked), with a secondary code of FSAIABAF, Final Expense / Burial Life Insurance. Its NAICS code is 812210.