Death is their job. The funeral sector has been marred by resounding scandals, such as the one revealed last April by
our colleagues from Parisian through the testimony of a former employee who denounced a “death business”. In addition to the rates for services which, in some cases, are enough to make ordinary mortals pale, there is the question of support for families. It is for these reasons in particular that funeral cooperatives have been developing in France for several years. The first in the North opened its doors at the beginning of January, in Marcq-en-Barœul, near Lille.
At almost 50 years old, Séverine Masurel is at the origin of the project that led to the creation of the Lille Funeral Cooperative. Employed at Damart for 24 years in her previous life, this world was totally unknown to her. “I’ve wanted to start organizing personalized secular funeral ceremonies for some time, in particular because I have experienced ceremonies that have disappointed and even revolted me”, recalls the founder.
No low cost but the right price
Except that Séverine Masurel did not want to do like the classic funeral directors. The click, she had it when discovering the funeral cooperative of Nantes, in 2020. “Basically, it was something that had been created in Quebec in the 1940s to break the prices of a market which the time,” she explains. For her part, the entrepreneur assumes not to do low cost but to charge fair prices. “We place ourselves under the average basket, excluding marble costs, which is around 3,500 euros”, assures the president of the cooperative.
But for her, the added value is elsewhere, in the eco-responsible side or in supporting families. “It’s an area that people are new to. You have to take the time to explain everything clearly to the families, what is mandatory, what is not, what can be done,” insists Séverine Masurel. The advantage of the cooperative is felt at this level, because money is not its driving force. “We do not pay a dividend, the profits are entirely reinvested in the company. The employees have a fixed and no bonus on the turnover and the decisions concerning the company are subject to the vote of the assembly of the members”, details the president.
Organized in a federation for a year, French funeral cooperatives intend to make things happen in a rather frozen sector. Among other things, they hope for legislation obliging town halls to make rooms available for secular ceremonies or for regulations to allow rites other than cremation or burial.