"We provide financial security and support our customers in matters of 'passing on and remembrance’." 

To achieve this, it is crucial for us to continue growing. We do so by expanding and diversifying our products and services related to the two core activities. This, in turn, allows us to meet the current and future needs of our members, customers, bereaved families, guests and the funeral directors with whom we partner.

Stakeholder dialogues are an integral part of our approach, encompassing customer service interactions and periodic evaluations with partners and suppliers. Formal meetings, such as those with regulators and DELA general meetings, also form part of our stakeholder dialogue. Our relationship with members and policyholders extends beyond insurance policies alone as we foster long-term connections. We utilise not only direct communication but also periodic surveys through our online cooperative panel. These interactions provided valuable insights in 2024, especially with regards to new services for grief counselling and coping with loss.

In the coming year we will formulate a new multi-year strategy for 2026-2030. This will incorporate customer feedback highlighting the need for further innovation of our core activities in insurance and funeral services. We will also consider the impacts that have been identified on people and the environment. The development of this strategy will include several workshops for members of the general meeting, allowing them to contribute their ideas and input.

Collaboration
Working together is another key priority for us as we actively engage with various industry organisations. This includes both the insurance sector (Verbond van Verzekeraars and Assuralia) and the funeral sector (BGNU, LOB, LVC, Uitvaartunie, and Funebra). Within these associations, we engage in discussions on broader industry topics such as legislative changes and collective labour agreements. Working together also facilitates the sharing of knowledge and experiences, ultimately enhancing the quality of our services. This, in turn, makes it easier for bereaved families to arrange all the services they require in one seamless process.

Our sustainability statement provides more details on how DELA engages with our primary stakeholders.

In 2024, we saw a mixed financial picture. Despite the geopolitical unrest, 2024 turned out to be a good year for stock markets. At the same time, the average inflation rate in the Netherlands was 3.3% (source: Central Bureau of Statistics). Although this is much lower than in previous years, inflation in the Netherlands remains higher than in the rest of the Eurozone due primarily to greater demand, increased rents and increased wage growth. This inflation caused a rise in our funeral costs, making it necessary to increase prices for items such as catering services at funeral homes.

Despite the financial turbulence, our strong coverage ratio enabled us to provide a record profit-sharing amount of over € 281.2 million. The premium for the DELA Uitvaartplan policy in the Netherlands rose by 5.84% on 1 January 2025. Without the profit-sharing scheme, the increase would have been 10.28%.

The number of funeral businesses in the Netherlands has grown by nearly 70% since 2014, from around 1,850 to over 3,000. This growth has been primarily driven by self-employed funeral directors, who now account for nearly 2,000 such businesses. This gives custumors more choice, making it even more essential that DELA stands out by focusing on customer satisfaction and local presence.

DELA continues to work hard to maintain and enhance customer satisfaction, with various quality programmes in place to ensure everyone experiences the same high level of care and attention.

Partnerships and acquisitions help strengthen our local presence. In 2024, we completed several acquisitions, including Dordrecht & Omstreken in the Netherlands and Van De Vyver in Belgium. We also finalised the integration of CVU.

Sustainability is becoming an increasingly important theme in the funeral industry. Research shows that 55% of Dutch people expect the options available for a funeral to be as eco-friendly as possible. Moreover, people are making more conscious sustainable choices. We are responding to the growing demand for ecological and sustainable funeral options with offerings such as floral wreaths, coffins made from sustainable materials, biodegradable shrouds and organic urns.

Labour market pressure remained a challenge in 2024. The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany currently have the tightest labour markets in Europe, resulting in higher recruitment costs for us. Despite a slight fall, we still find the staff turnover to be high and are placing extra focus on reducing workload and offering attractive employment conditions. We provide flexibility in working conditions and address factors such as employee well-being, absenteeism, onboarding processes and opportunities for career progression and development.

Concrete examples of our efforts include a sabbatical scheme, a training programme for future managers and a personal vitality budget for each employee. We also offer various opportunities to young staff who are still in education and to employees who continue working after retirement.

The increasing diversity of society is having a growing impact on DELA. Customers are more frequently expressing their preference for funeral services that align with their cultural, religious or personal beliefs. We are adapting our funeral services and locations accordingly, for example by ensuring facilities for ritual washing are fully equipped with the necessary provisions.

Diversity and inclusion are also key priorities for DELA as an employer. We are committed to ensuring our workforce reflects the society we serve, that everyone has equal opportunities, and that employees feel safe to be themselves. DELA is currently developing a plan to promote diversity, equality and inclusion, which is set to be finalised in 2025.

The process of digitisation at DELA focused in 2024 on enhancing our services and increasing customer satisfaction. As a group, we are investing in a user-friendly online portal for taking out policies, managing funeral preferences and simplifying administrative processes. Other digital innovations include tools for jointly arranging funerals with DELA, offering online condolences, enabling virtual memorials and making it easier to request and finalise insurance products online. We are also paying special attention to the increasing number of digital tools which support the grieving process.

Artificial intelligence presents many opportunities but can also disrupt the mourning process. This makes AI an important topic for discussion with government bodies, ethicists and experts in privacy and technology. One emerging area is ‘grief tech’, which includes intelligent chatbots and lifelike holograms that recreate deceased individuals. We raised public awareness of this issue last year in Belgium, emphasising the ethical and emotional implications.

The focus on stricter regulations – particularly in the areas of transparency, risk management, sustainability and corporate governance – continued to increase. Businesses must comply with new national and international regulations, such as CSRD, DORA, GDPR and sanctions legislation. DELA devoted significant attention to these regulations in 2024 and we expect this focus to remain a priority in the coming years.

The fact that more regulations are being shaped at the European level requires an approach that extends across borders. To meet these requirements efficiently and effectively, we are increasingly seeing cross-border cooperation in the countries in which we operate. This also increases our efficiency and effectiveness. In addition, we have a programme in the Netherlands called ‘Business in Control’ that is aimed at more effectively managing operational and compliance risks. We will continue with the implementation of this programme in 2025.

The number of cremations has risen significantly in recent decades. More than 68% of people in the Netherlands now choose cremation over burial, while in Flanders this percentage is as high as 80%. The trend does appear to be stabilising, however, and we expect demand for new forms of final body disposition to increase in the coming years. At DELA, we also observe shifting consumer behaviour across different generations. Whether it concerns baby boomers or Gen Z, each group has its own preferences. Some value a traditional farewell while others see a funeral as an opportunity to celebrate life. 

We are also seeing a cautious growth in demand for online condolence cards. In response we are increasingly focusing on customisation and a personalised approach to funerals and innovation through developments such as online tools. For example, more people are showing an interest in arranging funerals themselves. The introduction of a new CRM system for our Belgian customers and members will further enhance our ability to tailor our services and communications to individual preferences. Through local market development plans and a heightened focus on entrepreneurship as one of our core values, we aim to better and more quickly align with the needs and expectations of both existing customers and non-policyholders in the regions where we operate. In doing so we make clear that DELA is here for everyone.