P R E S S D O S S I E RF U N E R A I R E 2 0 0 7

Press Contact: Virginie Taverne – 0033 663 13 95 30 – virginietaverne@free.fr - ledragonvert.rp@free.fr

SUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

THE EXHIBITION… In a few figuresProduct & Services InnovationsThe activities

THE STUDIESThe French and Funerals – Credoc / CSNAF studyFunescope – CSNAF / Funéraire Magazine survey

FUNÉRAIRE, IN BRIEF…

INTRODUCTION

20 years old…

Funéraire, the international meeting of the funeral industry created by the Chambre Syndicale Nationale de l’ArtFunéraire – CSNAF (National Employer’s Syndicate for the Funeral Profession) – in 1987, is 20 years old, the age ofdaring creations, innovation, resolution, …as well as maturity.

Death, a taboo subject in our society, is today (once again) becoming a subject people can talk about… Verymarketing-oriented, death is an overwhelming success in advertising…death fascinates, breaks down the limits of‘political correctness’, is as attractive to young people who see it in video games, TV series, on T-shirts, schoolbags…as to fashionistas, in handbags, jewellery or at the weekend for thrill seekers!Away from the publicity stunts, death is a market like any other, just a little more sensitive…and in the latest Crédocstudy for the CSNAF (June 2007), it can be seen in particular that the French are both critical and demanding vis- à-visthe services offered by those working in the funeral industry, that they are spending more and more time preparingtheir funerals, that they are asking questions about the market…

So Funéraire 2007 reveals the expectations of both families and the professionals working in the sector, uncovers theway the professions and customs are developing and points out how the industry is changing economically.The previous editions of Funéraire have already confirmed it as the reference exhibition on an international scale for allthose involved in the Funeral sector working for professionals; its richness lies in its offer, its dynamism, its new ideas,its expertise in detecting the needs of families before they even realise they have those needs.

THE EXHIBITION

For its eleventh edition, Funéraire confirms itself as a business meeting place that attracts many international funeraldirectors as well as, increasingly, local authorities looking for practical solutions.Funéraire 2007 once again looks like it will represent all activities in the industry with a very strong turnout from peopleinvolved in all fields of work; from the ceremony to remembrance, machines and tools, materials, flowers, care andupkeep, transport, services, Prearranged Funeral contracts, professional organisations, …a real showcase for promotingthe professions, the new ideas, the trends moving through the industry. In this way, Funéraire 2007 displays all thechanges within the industry, upheavals on the outside, structural modifications in the different sectors, new implicationsand economic change on an international scale.

The representativeness of the key French players and an ever-increasing international presence: Germany, Belgium,Spain, Italy, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, etc. for Europe; Algeria,Cameroon, Canada, China, the United States, Hungary, India, etc. for the rest of the world strengthens the Funérairetrade show and establishes it as the industry’s federating event; Funéraire 2007 is the unmissable event for bothexhibitors and visitors – French and European – for international dynamics.

Funéraire 2007 also welcomes international professional organisations, such as the International Federation forThanatologist Associations (IFTA/ FIAT), the UPFM, the CPFM…and all networks like, for example, Roc Eclerc, Le ChoixFunéraire, Point Funéplus, etc.

…IN A FEW FIGURES

Funéraire 2007 covers 9,264 sq m, with 211 exhibitors and around twenty countries represented, meaning everyoneinvolved in the Funeral industry is present :

Representation by main sectors of activity

33%

26%

11%4%

2%9%

7%

7%1%

remembrance ceremony

care services

machines & tools materials

professional organisations press

other

Services

28%

28%8%

16%

5%5%

5% 5%

Funeral contracts IT

Internet TransportRepatriation Design - creating funeral chambers

Design - creating crematoriums Design - creating cemeteries

Remembrance

4%11%

3%5%

14%

17%11%

5%

10%

9%

9% 2%

Cemeteries Columbariums

Tombs Remembrance gardens

Monuments Plates

Vases Flowers

Ceramics/Porcelain Bronzes

Engraving/Sculpture Jewellery/Personal keepsakes

Treatments

25%

75%

Embalming Cold / Conservation

The Materials

45%

30%

25%

Granite Marble Stone

The Machines

22%

30%11%

37%

Excavation equipment Machines for cutting stone

Cremation equipment Tools and supplies

The Services

28%

28%8%

16%

5%5%

5% 5%

Funeral Contracts IT

Internet Transport

Repatriation Design - creating funeral chambers

Design - creating crematoriums Design - creating cemeteries

Professional Organisations

13%

7%

33%20%

27%

Federation Confederation Association Training Other Organisations

Product & Services InnovationsFunéraire 2007 is once again the reflection of new ideas – products or services – from the companies in the industry:urns, reliquaries, jewels, coffins, padding, plates, material, Internet sites, ecological solutions, equipment, vehicles…

Here, in a few examples, is a showcase of the innovations for 2007:

MEMOPACK, the messenger service for your feelings: crematable funeralornamentation making it possible for someone to send a final message to thedeceased and therefore be close to them during the funeral service and thecremation.

ROC ECLERC: a new cut flowers and floral arrangementsservice, at affordable prices for all thanks to the unique(40 references) and exclusive catalogue of funeral flowerarrangements from Rapid’Flore, through the website oravailable in all the network’s franchises.

L’ARBRE À SOUVENIR®!(The Remembrance Tree): an offering from theliving to the deceased, making it possible to express their feelings to theirnearest and dearest, share their grief, make the love and the pain of theloss, the separation into something tangible.Made of sculpted wood, with a pedestal, a border and little removable heartsplaced on the tree that can be kept by the relatives if they so wish.

CARNET DE France: a note-book for death notices, full and independent, is available on the Internet. The use ofmultimedia content coupled with an e-mail system make CarnetdeFrance.fr an innovative site, and a new reference interms of information distribution.

ZIANNA: ornaments for burial places, combining eleganceand lasting quality, made using traditional methods out ofmolten glass and reconstituted stone using flowerthemes.

BIAGINNI (REQUIEM DES IGN) : Urn,objects of remembrance, originallydesigned to restore the symbolicdimension to the object in the mourningprocess.

SUZANNE SA: Funeral monuments, "Mini-Monuments", "UrnHouses" or "Boxes for Ashes", three new designs (INPIpatented) combining the need to conserve the ashes with theever more present will to commemorate and honour thedeparture of a loved one.

BOCAP: Cocoon is a smooth and rounded shaped coffin, with two versions shown atFunéraire 2007, in particular a version in laminated wood which does not use any moreglue than a traditional coffin and uses a maximum of 0.04 m3 of wood, which is 4 timesless than a solid wood coffin.

Debates and activitiesFunéraire 2007 is also the occasion for presenting activities and debates on the major current issues, with, notably, theparticipation of the CPFM, the ‘Amis du Musée du Funéraire’ (Friends of the Funeral Museum), Funéraire Magazine,Mémoire Nécropolitaine…namely:

Thursday 15 November – 2.00 pmPresentation of the results of the "The French and Funerals" study done for the CSNAF by CREDOC. Talk led by RaphaëlBerger and Fanette Recours from Crédoc.

DEBATES

Thursday 15 November – 4.00 pmNetworks: what are the possibilities in the funeral industry (franchising, organized businesses network, independence)?Talk proposed by Funéraire Magazine and led by Olivier Géhin, editor of Funéraire Magazine and Jean-Michel Illien fromFranchise Management

Friday 15 November – 11.00 am"Crematoriums, the issues and future prospects". Round table discussion chaired by Mr. Neveu, Mr. Vidallet, Mr. Bastit,Mr. Minard, Mr. Martineau

ACTIVITIES

At the exhibition, the CPFM is organising an "information area on funerals and the environment" dealing with differentfuneral-related environmental issues (waste treatment, crematorium waste, biodegradability, etc.).

CULTURE AND HERITAGE

Visits to Saint Denis’ Basilica organised by the Friends of the Funeral Museum. Thursday 15 November at 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm. Friday 16 November at 10.30 am, 12 noon, 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm. Saturday 17 November at 10.30 am and 12 noon

Photography exhibition "Spiritualités Nécropolitaines" (Necropolitan Spiritualities) by André Chabot: funeral practices indifferent religions and freethinking, presented by the Mémoire Nécropolitaine association.

"A few pictures of necropolitan spaces which show that, everywhere and throughout history, man, with the exceptionof freethinkers, atheists and agnostics, afraid of the idea that death is the end of everything, has worked hard atbelieving that the death of the body is full of promises of eternal spiritual life.And so we have the Christlike imagery that exalts hope for resurrection, the House of Eternity also called the House ofLife by the Jews who try to avoid using the word death, death thought of as a blessing that promises Muslims athousand pleasures unknown on Earth, the Far East where Spirits regularly move between heaven and earth."

THE CSNAF STUDIES FOR FUNERAIRE 2007

On the occasion of the exhibition it organises every two years, the National Employer’s Syndicate for the FuneralProfession (CSNAF) sponsors studies and surveys for the industry…This year, the CSNAF is again presenting an indicator called "The French and Funerals", a study carried out by Crédoc inJune 2007 on a representative sample of 1012 people as well as a survey called "The Funescope" carried out byFunéraire Magazine on 84 professionals representative of the industry.

The French and FuneralsThe CSNAF has just had a new survey done by CREDOC on 1012 individuals aged 40 and over, regarding practiceslinked to funerals. The 2005 indicator has consequently been updated.

A changing society, the breakup of the family unit, the steady drop in religious practices…: even death is changing!Funeral rites and organisation are therefore changing too. Cremation has become a lot more common; where ashesshould be put is provoking problems and questions, practices are drastically changing due to a lack of ceremony, oftrimmingsThis new survey shows, among other things, that the French are leaving the organisation of their funerals to theirrelatives or descendants less and less often. Whether through a Prearranged Funeral contract or by leaving instructions,more and more people are choosing to plan the organization of their own funeral. By relieving relatives of theorganisation of the funeral, are we not depriving them of a prerequisite stage in the mourning process? The questionasked here is about how death and mourning should be situated for those who remain behind.

Preparing your own funeral is becoming more and more common!More and more people over the age of 40 are thinking about leaving instructions regarding the organization of theirfuneral. In the previous CREDOC FUNERAIRE 2005 indicator, 35% of the people in this age bracket said they had leftinstructions about how they would like their funeral to be organised, or were thinking about doing so. In 2007, this has

risen to 41%. Though it may be a good idea to organise your estate while still alive, in order to spare the survivors thetricky question of inheritance, organising the funeral is traditionally the responsibility of the relatives: choosing thecoffin, the type of funeral monument, the ceremony, etc.

There is no lack of objective reasons for this behaviour: the main one being to avoid being a financial burdenon children, even in the next world. In fact, 58% of those who have taken out or are thinking of taking out funeralinsurance do it for this reason. The fact that families live spread out across several geographical zones makes it moredifficult for the relatives to organise a funeral, and in such a short space of time. Organising your funeral yourself helpsto avoid family problems. As people are living longer, more and more elderly people live alone, with no family close by:leaving instructions – by means of a Prearranged Funeral contract or with their solicitor – is becoming a necessity. Forsome people, this would also be a way of not bothering others – the next of kin – and not having to rely on weakerfamily solidarity.Organising your own funeral fits the current trend of modern man wanting to control everything. Organising your ownfuneral is a way of putting off death, by artificially extending the existence of your will. The deceased will be present attheir own ceremony, even though their body no longer belongs to them.

The drop in religious observance is leading to ceremony diversityOrganising your own funeral is also a consequence of the drop in religious observance in France. In a world of believers,rituals dictate an unchanging ceremony that everyone respects, with very little leeway possible. This is no longer thecase today, even though the number of religious ceremonies at funerals is dropping only slowly, structurally thereligious aspect is in decline.

Funerals prepared more often

65 59

2019

2116

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

2005 2007

no

some instructions

yes

Cremation and burial on an equal footingThough the secular republic has been fairly successful in inventing civil marriage, it has not yet proposed an alternativeto the religious funeral. This lack of a model to follow means that people opting for a civil funeral have had to reinventthe ceremony. Consequently, each individual creates their own ritual.The wishes of people preparing their own funeral remain relatively unchanged: cremation remains steady, envisaged by41% of the people questioned, against 39% for burial – while 20% remain undecided. This data can be compared to theanswers collected in 2005: burial is chosen primarily due to religious convictions (28% of answers from people over 40years old show they are considering burial). On the contrary, cremation confirms it is suited to contemporary habits:the first reason for choosing cremation is “not to put constraints on the family” (35%), the second “for ecologicalreasons” (24%). Once again we see a sort of embarrassment, or even fear of bothering others: death is a materialburden that it is best to try and lighten for your nearest and dearest.

Cremation does not really correspond to a ceremony rooted inour collective memory and spreading the ashes still needsorganising. On the other hand, all those who are consideringburial have a specific idea about the place where they will be laidto rest:

! for 48%, in a family tomb,! for 41% in the local cemetery,! for 11% in the cemetery of another district (sometimes

where their holiday home is).

Funeral Choice

39%

41%

20%

Burial Cremation Undecided

The Professionals seen by the FrenchSo that they can prepare their funeral properly, the French put their trust in the professionals in the funeral industry:83% say they have "a good or excellent image" of these professionals. Private funeral director’s companies are themost used, as 82% of those surveyed have already dealt with them, local government authorities having beencontacted by only 9% of the people questioned.

The high satisfaction rating does not mean that theFrench expect any less than they would from anyservice provider: attention paid to the cost is veryhigh. A reasonable price is quoted as the first orsecond criteria of importance by 60% of thosequestioned.With this in mind, the business of death is a businesslike any other: economic constraints are perceptible.Relatives are now more readily accept to spend lesson funerals.

Choice of professional

31%

27%12%

30%

FuneralDirectors

Insurancecompanies

Banks

Other

Image of the professionals (in %)

23

17

58

65

9

8

10

10

0 50 100

2005

2007Excellent

Good

Bad

No opinion

A warm reception is the second most important expectation, mentioned by 54% of those surveyed. Requests for a fullservice are up by 5 points, from 28% in 2005 to 33% in 2007.Yet, whether you are organising your own funeral or the funeral of a relative, it is advisable to have a single contact,offering a full range of services for one invoice.

Similarly, there is a real demand for a label guaranteeing consumers service quality: 32% of peoplequestioned in 2007 would be prepared to pay 5% more for such services. If this label cost 10% more, 29% accept theidea in 2007, against 23% in 2005. Faced with a multitude of service providers, often met in emergency conditions,with no previous market research carried out, the consumer needs reassurance, signs of quality to help them in theirchoice.

The Prearranged Funeral contract58% of French people say they know what this is. The Prearranged Funeral contract makes it possible to organise andfinance your funeral while you are still alive, by paying the inherent costs in advance. It can also – but this is not anobligation – define the way the funeral ceremony will be organised down to the tiniest detail or just some particularaspects like the ceremony. 25% of the population are potentially concerned by this, from those who have alreadysigned one (12% of people surveyed) and those who are thinking of signing one (13%).

Reason for subscribing

58%24%

18%

financialaspect

relieverelatives

other

On the contrary, the people that haven’t subscribed to a Prearranged Funeral contract have almost certainly not doneso because it is still too early to think about it (1st reason, with 29% of answers) and also, for the second choice (25%)“because it is important for [their] relatives to organize the funeral”. A more traditional approach to funerals butperhaps more thoughtful: mourning begins with the organisation of the funeral. The different administrative tasks to besorted out make it possible, over time, to symbolise the absence of the other person, on a day-to-day basis, they makethe disappearance of a dear one more palpable.Half of the people who have signed a Prearranged Funeral contract, or are thinking about signing one, have no idea howmuch they cost, while the other half estimate the cost at "3,800 on average. This is less expensive than theestimation given by people not choosing or not wanting to subscribe to a Prearranged Funeral contract, who estimatethe cost at "4,000 on average.

The French and All Saints’ Day (Toussaint)66% of French people questioned say that they go to the cemetery on All Saints’ Day. This figure was also 66% in2005.

Number of people going to the cemetery on All Saints' Day (%)

51

45 5

15

16

32

33

2

1

0 50 100

2005

2007systematically

every other year

every 3/4 years

never

not concerned

ConclusionsOut of 1012 people surveyed

• 39% are considering burial,• 41% cremation• 82% have a good image of Funeral Director’s companies• 42% know about the Prearranged Funeral contract (especially the cost)• 12% are interested in a Prearranged Funeral contract• 13% have already signed a Prearranged Funeral contract• 41% are interested, other than Prearranged Funeral contract, in a service that takes full charge

of all the physical organisation of the funeral!• the preferred companies are the funeral directors.

A consumer trend can also be distinguished; the offer organisation of funeral services: offers proposing a product package areincreasing.

(Source: "The French and Funerals", CSNAF-Crédoc, June 2005 and June 2007).

THE FUNESCOPE

The FUNESCOPE 2007 survey, carried out in July on a representative sample of 84 companies chosen from across thewhole of France, was financed by the Chambre Syndicale Nationale de l’Art Funéraire (CSNAF) and run by the specialistpress review, Funéraire Magazine.

From this study, some information in figures about the practices of the professionals in the funeral industry can begiven, notably:

! The national average cost of funerals for the families, excluding the cost of providing a burial place, is 3,093Euros for a burial and 2,548 Euros for a cremation.These averages include VAT, the turnover of the professional organising the funeral as well as all other expenseslaid out for the family excluding the purchase of floral items. These additional expenses can include the cost ofprofessionals working in the cemetery, to proceed with the burial, the press announcement, the cost of thechurch service, local taxes and police fees. For a cremation, they include the cost of the crematorium services.Cremation therefore appears to be less expensive in the invoice immediately payable by the family with adifference of 550 Euros. It can also avoid the need to purchase a plot in the cemetery and provide a burialchamber and monument.

! Where the funeral takes place makes a difference to the expense for the families. For a burial, the funeral costson average 3,463 Euros in the Paris area, 3,201 Euros in a town outside Paris and 2,896 Euros in thecountryside.A more marked difference can however be seen in the case of a cremation because this costs 2,967 Euros in theParis area, 2,364 Euros in a town outside Paris and 2,617 Euros in the countryside as transportation to thecrematorium adds to the cost in this case.

The Funescope 2007 survey looks into the average turnover of the professional receiving the family. Professionally,they are paid 2,291 Euros (excl. VAT) for a total of 3,093 Euros invoiced for a burial. They are paid 1,790 (excl. VAT)for a total of 2,548 for a cremation.Included in this turnover, the coffin represents an average expense of 920 Euros (excl. VAT) for a burial and 530 Euros(excl. VAT) for a cremation.The national average for fees received by the professional for the procedures and formalities related to the organisationof the funeral is around 160 Euros (excl. VAT).On this specific point, a marked variation can be seen depending on where the funeral takes place: 116 Euros (excl.VAT) in the countryside, 194 Euros (excl. VAT) in a town outside Paris and 277 Euros (excl. VAT) in the Paris area.

! As far as providing a burial place is concerned, the national average price including VAT for a burial chamberrepresents an expense of 1,800 Euros. But in the Paris area, the average price amounts to 2,450 Euros. Thenational average price including VAT for a monument represents an expense of 3,223 Euros; this price can dropto an average as low as 2,035 Euros outside Paris.

! As cremation is becoming more and more popular, families are more frequently choosing to buy a cremation plot.In this case, the cost of the vault that will hold the urn amounts to an average of 270 Euros (incl. VAT) while themonument for this type of plot costs on average 1,230 Euros (incl. VAT). When it is possible to opt for acompartment in the columbarium, the average expense for this adds up to a total of 393 Euros.

FUNERAIRE 2007

Press Contact: Virginie Taverne – 00 33 663 13 95 30 –virginietaverne@free.fr - ledragonvert.rp@free.fr