Funeral Partners announces expansion of 18 funeral homes

Funeral business, Funeral Partners, has announced significant expansion with 18 funeral homes in Northern Ireland becoming part of its network. The funeral homes include Belfast businesses, James Brown and Sons and Houston and Williamson, Bairds of Antrim, Doggarts of Newtownards as well as other businesses in Belfast, Portadown, Londonderry, Dungannon, Larne, Bangor, Holywood, Donaghadee and Carrickfergus. The new businesses bring the total number of funeral homes in its network to almost 200. Chief executive officer Sam Kershaw said: “As our first funeral acquisition outside the UK mainland, these 18 Funeral Services Northern Ireland branches represent significant growth for Funeral Partners and an important addition to our high-quality network of businesses. “These well-established funeral businesses have excellent reputations in their local communities and we look forward to working with the local teams and investing in the businesses to ensure they continue to provide a caring and professional service to local families in Belfast and across Northern Ireland.” Regional operations manager Shona Burke, who will lead the renamed Funeral Partners Northern Ireland region, has been working with Funeral Services Northern Ireland for two years. She said: “I’m looking forward to working with Funeral Partners, because they are fully funeral-focused and very keen for us to keep our heritage. They understand there are different challenges providing funeral services in Northern Ireland, as we operate differently from the mainland. “These differences include the way we look after the deceased and the strong and very important traditions in the region. Far more families choose a burial for their loved one and these normally take place within three days. Funeral Partners understands these cultural differences.” Burke added: “I feel it’s a very positive step because Funeral Partners understand the business, they understand why we’re here and what we do and that is being part of the community, looking after the community and supporting local families.”