InvoCare in SW funeral buy

Listed funeral company InvoCare has continued to expand its market share in Western Australia, after purchasing South West business Archer & Sons Funeral Homes.

Sydney-based Invocare controls about 45 per cent of the WA market, including Purslowe Funeral Homes and Chipper Funerals.

The company said Archers, which operates funeral homes in Bunbury and Manjimup, generates revenue of about $2.4 million per annum from about 330 funeral services.

InvoCare chief executive Martin Earp highlighted the benefits of the acquisition.

“Archer & Sons Funeral Homes provides us with another high-quality business to continue the growth of our regional strategy by building on the success of a business that is well established in the local community,” he said.

“The South West region of WA has significant potential for growth and we look forward to working with the Archer family to ensure a smooth transition and identify further opportunities to service families in the surrounding towns and districts.”

Listed company Propel Funeral Partners is another major player in the WA market, which it entered last year with the acquisition of Seasons Funerals, before listing on the ASX in November.

The third big player in WA is family-owned Bowra & O’Dea, which has nine chapels across WA.