A 7 per cent rise in the number of deaths in the first three months of this year has pushed funeral director Dignity's overall performance ahead of management's expectations. Revenue in the first quarter rose 11 per cent to £67.8m, while underlying operating profit, excluding recoveries, increased by 16 per cent to £25.4m
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The acquisition of Yew in January also helped boost revenue, but diluted growth in the average income per funeral. Excluding the acquisition, this income rose by roughly 5 per cent. Meanwhile, one further funeral location was acquired and seven satellite locations were opened.
