Following the phenomenal success from the UK and US launch, Hainsworth Coffins has expanded into Europe.
In November 2009, Hainsworth Coffins exhibited at the Funeraire Paris International Funeral Trade Exhibition, where we exhibited our full range of coffins including our new range of child and infant coffins.
The stand was booked very last minute, and we were situated in the ‘last minute’ area of the show, tucked away in a corner. This actually worked to our benefit, as we could not have coped with anymore traffic. We only had 4 people manning the stand, and only two of those spoke French.
This was our third exhibition since our UK launch in June 2009, and again we were overwhelmed by the response. We were the only company at the show that displayed a children’s range, and this proved to be a real draw.
The timing of the launch of our woollen coffin range has been impeccable, hitting the start of the ‘going green’ trend in the funeral trade. The Hainsworth woollen coffins are ideally placed to fill this gap in the market.
The interest in the product was incredible, with brochures running out on the second day. The offers of distributorship in different European countries came thick and fast, it was hard for us to sort out the small from the large, as we were so new into the market. We had a lot of international visitors, and without exception, the response was positive, it was just a matter of sorting out distribution outlets, that deliver within 24 hours! No small task. We also had to understand the legislation that exists in every country surrounding burial, and we know that in certain countries, some administrative hurdles will have to be overcome.
The result from this show gave us confidence that we have a product that attracts attention, is unique, revolutionary and will sell. It was described as the ‘most innovative product that has hit the funeral market since cremation.’ We are confident that once the coffins start to be seen at funerals, that they will become mainstream, as the testimonials from the bereaved have been incredible.
We are now looking at the global calendar for funeral shows for 2010. It is going to be a very busy year ahead.
