Coffins are a comfy line for Hainsworth

SALES of Woollen coffins manufactured by textile business Hainsworth have leapt by almost 700%, according to the company.

Around 120 of the innovations are being sold each month compared to just 15 a month last year, the Leeds-based company said.

The family-owned business is forecasting that demand – both within the UK and internationally – will see sales increase further still to around 200 a month by the end of 2013.

Hainsworth, a seventh generation family business dating back 229 years, only started manufacturing its woollen coffins in 2009 after a work experience student stumbled across the 1668 Burial in Woollen Act which decreed that people had to be buried in a woollen shroud.

Rachel Hainsworth, of Hainsworth, said: “We have taken a 17th century concept and brought it into the 21st century.

“We get a lot of repeat business from funeral directors who have given us some wonderful feedback. They like the fact that our coffins are very visual, tactile products which look particularly beautiful when decorated with flowers. They have a softer look than more traditional coffins which can make a real difference at a funeral.

“The rapid growth in sales indicates that people like the idea of having a stylish, aesthetically pleasing woollen coffin for their loved ones. Funeral directors tell us they like being able to offer a wider range of choices for bereaved families when they are planning this important and emotional day. The fact that our coffins are also eco-friendly is an additional benefit.”

The Co-operative Funeralcare, the UK’s largest funeral director, is among those to have chosen to stock the woollen coffins, which are distributed by JC Atkinson, the UK’s leading independent coffin manufacturer.