Coffin maker aims for further growth

The UK’s largest independent coffin manufacturer is aiming to secure further organic growth after successfully completing a three-year investment cycle with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers. Since securing a £150,000 investment from the Finance For Business North East Growth Fund that NEL manages in 2010, JC Atkinson & Son has seen its annual turnover rise from £5.5m to around £7m, and now employs more than 100 people at its purpose-built Washington factory. The Washington-based company currently supplies around 60,000 coffins and caskets every year to customers in every part of the UK, and has substantially extended its offering to manage demand for every type of coffin, which are sold through the firm’s expanding wholesale division.

Products range from traditional-style, Fairtrade willow and self-design coffins through to coffins made from bamboo, wicker, seagrass and even Yorkshire wool. Having been named by the Sunday Times as the UK’s Best Green Company in 2008, the firm has also continued to maintain its industry-leading focus on environmental best practice.

It has obtained and retained the Carbon Trust Standard, which provides a commitment to reducing carbon emissions, and launched a specialist Greener Goodbyes service to help customers looking to arrange a ‘green’ funeral for themselves or their loved ones. Originally founded in 1936, JC Atkinson & Son works with a UK-wide customer base of independent funeral directors, as well as acting as a specialist supplier for a number of larger, household name funeral businesses, and received its first NEL investment in the year 2000. Managing director Julian Atkinson says: “We have grown ten-fold in the last 20 years, and having the capital available that we’ve needed to do this has been critical to our success. “NEL believed in our vision for the business, and the relationship that we’ve had with them over the years has been extremely positive for all sides. “The continuing expansion of the wholesale side of the business has complemented our manufacturing success very well, and we’ve been able to both bring in skilled new staff and keep our existing staff happy and motivated, which has all contributed to enabling the business to grow in a sustainable way. “The funeral market has diversified greatly in recent years, with a large number of people now looking for a more personal coffin which can relate to the way they have lived their life, and we’ve extended our product range substantially to meet this demand. “We now have an impressive range of skills on the board, as well as across the company as a whole, and can see clear opportunities for future growth which will help consolidate and build on what we’ve achieved so far while retaining the culture that has helped make us successful in the first place.” Barrie Hensby, chief executive at NEL Fund Managers, adds: “JC Atkinson’s highly effective, long-term use of investment capital sets a great example for other north east firms looking to expand their operations and create new jobs to follow. “The Finance For Business North East Funds provide a real opportunity for regional businesses to gain a competitive advantage over their rivals, and we remain as keen as ever to talk to more management teams with strong track records and robust plans for development about how we can help them achieve their commercial objectives.” Aimed at regional businesses which are at a development and growth stage, the Growth Fund forms part of the wider Finance for Business North East Fund. Managed by North East Finance, it will see £125m of investment capital injected into the region by the European Investment Bank and the European Regional Development Fund 2007-13 over a five year period. NEL is looking to make around 130 investments over the five-year life span of the Growth Fund, and is actively looking to speak to ambitious north east companies with robust business plans.