1 In brief

COVID-19 came as a complete surprise. ‘Exponential growth’ is how virologists described it. Apparently, you have to experience it to understand it. The virus came in waves, with enormous regional peaks. In the spring in particular we saw areas where the number of funerals rose abruptly, sometimes by almost four times. As well as demanding serious dedication from our staff, this required us to be very agile and flexible. We addressed the new situation quickly and well, thanks in part to those colleagues from less affected regions who provided assistance without hesitation.

Our first response was to find the right approach to safeguard the bereaved and our colleagues. We then focused on ensuring that every funeral was as unique as they were before, despite all the limitations. In the beginning this was particularly heart-breaking, but by focusing on what was still possible, we saw a growing understanding and a fresh perspective for new possibilities; more intimacy with smaller groups, reaching more people via streaming instead of physical attendance, and new services outside such as honour guards.

Was it tough? Ye, undoubtedly, but the task suited us. What is most challenging has been the length of the crisis and the need to constantly adapt to new measures. Regularly re-assessing what is possible and ensuring proper communication guarantees and continues to guarantee an unswerving attention to detail.

Looking at our results, we are especially pleased that the restrictive measures did not have a negative impact on our customer satisfaction and reputation survey figures. On the contrary, the evaluation scores were actually higher. Clearly our efforts did not go unnoticed and we received lots of recognition of the importance of our services. Moreover, the many loving messages from bereaved relatives gave us the strength and energy to go the extra mile. In June we heard that DELA Netherlands had been appointed Best Workplace for the third consecutive year. Our score on the statement ‘overall, I see DELA as a good employer’ further increased in the Netherlands and Belgium alike. DELA Belgium rose to fourth place overall in the best workplace ranking.

The pandemic did sadly result in more deaths, of course. For DELA the main financial consequence was that we made extra payments to our members. Operationally, we organised more funerals, but our costs also increased as a result of the measures. On balance, we were able to achieve the budgeted result. We did see disappointing investment results, with commercial real estate impacted especially hard by the crisis. Nonetheless, our solvency is as strong as ever, even with the low interest rates.

Another aspect that we are very pleased about is the net growth in the number of insured people. DELA saw solid growth across the board in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. In total, the number rose by more than 109,000 to 4.25 million. The strong growth in Germany continued and is meeting our expectations. We are also very pleased with the increase in our funeral insurance policies in the Netherlands, which meant that our market share increased in a saturated market.

Just before publishing this annual report, DELA and Yarden signed an agreement on 5 May 2021 confirming DELA's takeover of Yarden. The preparations for this took place throughout 2020. Because it was important to DELA that Yarden financially recover independently, and that seemed impossible in the third quarter of the year under review, DELA stopped preparing for the takeover in late September. DELA and Yarden then restarted consultations after the Dutch Financial Services Complaints Authority (KiFid) and the courts decided that Yarden was allowed to change the policy conditions of its package policies unilaterally in the interest of its financial recovery. In addition, it was vital to DELA that the Dutch Consumer Association end its preparations for judicial proceedings against Yarden’s recovery plan. As DELA felt confident that Yarden’s recovery would continue, the takeover became an option again. If regulators approve the plans, Yarden will soon officially become part of DELA.

A year like this requires keeping a sharp focus on the issues that really matter: the satisfaction of our members, clients and staff. Despite the crisis, these this actually improved in 2020.  

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte visited our Rhijnhof crematorium in Leiden on 12 February 2021. He showed considerable interest in our work, confirmed the importance of the funeral sector, and was very positive after speaking to our employees. DELA was honoured with his visit and the recognition it brought for the funeral sector in general and DELA’s role in particular. 

All in all, the Board is proud of our cooperative and organisation. The 2,000-plus people who work for DELA strived to ensure we fulfilled our social responsibilities in 2020. We worked as one family with suppliers and other stakeholders. It wasn’t always easy, but we succeeded. All these efforts can be summarised in just two words that serve as the compass on our journey: solidarity and continuity. They allowed us to also explore new paths in 2020 and set a fresh course for the coming years. We would like to express our since gratitude to everyone for their contribution in a year of tests and heart-warming dedication.

Eindhoven, 7 May 2021
DELA Cooperative

The Executive Board

Edzo Doeve, CEO / chair
Jack van der Putten, CCO / vice-chair
Jon van Dijk, CFRO

12 February 2021. Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte visits DELA’s Rhijnhof crematorium in Leiden

Watch video: https://youtu.be/guQukT5FJIY

DELA was founded almost 85 years ago to ensure a personalised and dignified farewell for its members by insuring and organising funerals. Since its inception, DELA has focused on offering security, care and continuity.

With some 170 locations, 50,000 funerals a year and over four million insured, DELA cooperative is market leader in the Benelux region and a scale-up in Germany. DELA helps people with a funeral or cremation, repatriation, aftercare for the bereaved and the related financial services at a fair price. DELA exists to ‘carry each other’s burdens’.

DELA is a cooperative and our members collectively own DELA. They benefit from profits, which keeps premiums low and compensates for rises in the price of funerals. DELA’s Executive Board and Supervisory Board are accountable to the members via the General Meeting. The cooperative model is a unique safeguard for the interests of the insured, whether they are active members or not.

In the interest of providing high-quality services to members for the lowest possible premium, DELA strives to increase membership, strengthen solidarity and achieve purchasing benefits. Having initially only done this in the Netherlands, we have branched out internationally over the last three decades. Ever since its inception, the cooperative has operated according to the motto ‘stronger together'.

DELA consists of insurance and funeral companies in the Netherlands and Belgium. This includes 54 funeral centres and 21 crematoriums in the Netherlands, and 59 funeral centres, two crematoriums and a repatriation centre in Belgium. All ensure a dignified farewell to the departed every day. DELA has also been active in Germany as an insurer since 2018.

DELA has a yearly premium income of more than half a billion euros and manages assets of more than €6 billion. Unlike non-life insurers, DELA has an insurance portfolio made up of long-term liabilities. This has consequences for our investment policy, which is therefore carefully aligned with our obligations. From the beginning we have built up financial buffers in good times to ensure sufficient reserves are in place when things are less rosy.

At the end of 2020, DELA had around 2100 employees (around 1600 FTEs). Committed, honest and enterprising, they work tirelessly to expand our membership, give people quality insurance products, ensure good investment results, provide an excellent service and dignified funerals, and offer sustainable and cost-efficient activities, all with a sense of pride and satisfaction. In addition, we make social contributions in a range of other contexts.

How our cooperative structure works

• Stronger together: we already insure more than 4.25 million people. The 3.14 million Dutch insured are also members of the DELA cooperative. Our goal is for our Belgian and German insured to also join the cooperative and this is being actively investigated.
• Members are distributed across 36 geographical divisions.
• Each division chooses a representative and deputy. Together, they form the General Meeting and collectively function as DELA’s shareholders.
• The General Meeting:
  • Appoints the Supervisory Board, which oversees the Executive Board and the organisation at large. The Supervisory Board safeguards continuity and the interests of stakeholders, including the members;
  • Determines the profit distribution scheme, which decides how much of the profit is used to keep premiums as low as possible for the people insured and how much goes to strengthening the cooperative’s buffers.
• Moreover, members are represented in an online cooperative panel in which some 2300 members take part to advise DELA and provide input on policy issues.

We are here for everyone… And for each other. This is deeply embedded in who we are: helping people, regardless of background, status or rank. It gives our work meaning. We have always remained loyal to what our founders started with their funeral business in 1937. This is related to two inextricably linked key words.

Many hands make light work. Together we can get things done. A powerful collective based on equality and reciprocity. Together we are the cooperative: when the going gets tough we all play our part, and when things get better we all reap the rewards. The fact that solidarity works is proven by the millions of people who have joined our cooperative. The growth in the number of insured means we can keep the premiums as low as possible and sustain this mutual solidarity for the long term. From generation to generation.

Solidarity is not possible without continuity, and vice versa. DELA’s members and management together guarantee the continuity of the cooperative and ensure that the concept will continue to function and flourish for years to come.
 

Our business model is simple and revolves around:

• Combining the strength of as many members as possible. Solidarity only works well when there is a mutual connection that allows us to rely on one another. We confirm this connection through membership.
• Reciprocity. We explicitly do not aim for unilateral solidarity in which there is a clear giver and a clear taker. Benefits and costs are fully borne by the group.
• A valued service provision when people die. As well as cost-efficient purchasing and organising dignified farewells, we approach our domain from a broader perspective than funerals alone. The ‘saying goodbye and sharing memories’ concept has enriched our service provision around funerals for the bereaved and will continue to do so in the years to come.

This is achieved by:

• Developing product propositions that strengthen the position in our core and growth markets, such as the fine foundations we havelaid with aftercare services for the bereaved and notary services. We will continue to develop and expand similar services in the years ahead such as additional help for the grieving process, dealing with estates, and drawing up last will and testaments.
• Aiming for cost savings so we can continue to offer attractive prices in the market.
• Achieving growth so that we can increase our scale and organise even more efficiently.
• Realising innovation and researching how we can use the strength of the cooperative in domains other than the funeral sector.
• Increasing internationalisation as we realise growth outside of the Netherlands too.
• Strengthening our digital mastery and increasing the adaptive capacity of our organisation.
• Making investments to generate profit sharing and keep premiums as low as possible.
• Taking corporate social responsibility. We aim to provide sustainable funerals, further reduce our CO2 footprint, use more eco-friendly materials and become a more inclusive organisation.

We periodically define an ambitious goal we would like to achieve at the end of a planning period. Like a flag on the horizon this gives us direction and tells us where we would like to go.  

DELA Netherlands
The ambitious goal of DELA Netherlands until 2020 was focused on social engagement and excellent service provision. It stated that ‘by 2020, DELA will be the most committed cooperative and give life more meaning.’ Based on the underlying indicators this goal was achieved.

DELA Belgium
DELA Belgium is in a phase of growth, both organically and through acquisitions. Its ambitious goal for the period until 2020 was to build up brand recognition and reputation: ‘by 2020, DELA will be the foremost funeral specialist in Belgium and a warm family for all other families.’ This goal was also achieved.

DELA Germany
Due to its recent creation, no specific ambitious goal was formulated for DELA Germany in 2020 other than making a strong entrance into the German market.

In 2020 we laid the foundation for a new strategy, both for the group as a whole, and for the national organisations DELA Netherlands and Belgium.

DELA Group
To make the overall vision of the cooperative complete, an ambitious goal was set for the DELA Group too: “In 2030, our cooperative will have increased the solidarity within society.”

DELA Netherlands
The ambitious goal for the Netherlands specifically addresses membership: "In 2025 our members consider membership valuable because we help them with all issues related to death.” This starts by building up and strengthening relationships with members, including by offering them a listening ear and actively involving them in the development of new products and services. By adding new member services, we will increase the value of membership. We want members to feel connected to what we represent as an organisation and sense that we are truly there for them.  

DELA België
Death reminds us of the essence of life. As a funeral specialist we hear the life stories of many people. Someone’s life is typified in an hour. What remains? What truly matters in the end? Sharing these life stories gives the bereaved comfort and serve as a source of strength for picking up the pieces of their own lives. This is our mission: to contribute to the meaning and continuity of everyone’s existence. With our funeral services and with our insurance policies that make these goodbyes possible. Each in their own unique way. Picking up the pieces is also the basis for the ambitious goal we formulated: “In 2025, over 600,000 families will feel more hope and perspective in their own life at times of death.” The 600,000 represents a combination of insured families and realised funerals.

Dutch citizen. Position in the DELA Group: CEO, Chair of Executive Board (since 2004). Position in DELA Netherlands: Managing Director (since 2004) with a focus on general policy, HR, communication, CSR, internal audit, information technology, procurement and administrative and legal affairs. Employment period: indefinite. Additional functions: chair of Executive Board of national funeral museum Tot Zover, chair of Supervisory Board Eindhoven 365, chair of Stichting Promotors Van Abbemuseum, chair of Vereniging Impact 040, Board Member of DELA charity fund, member of Advisory Board of ORMIT.

Dutch citizen. Position in the DELA Group: CCO, Member of Executive Board (since 2010) and Deputy Chair (since 2010). Position in DELA Netherlands: Director (since 2010) with a focus on management, insurance, cooperative issues, funeral care and services, customer intelligence and processes, customer service and innovation. Employment period: indefinite. Additional functions: chair of Stichting Onbeperkt Genieten, member of Supervisory Board UNC Holding BV.

Dutch citizen. Position in the DELA Group: CFRO, Member of Executive Board (since 2014). Position DELA Netherlands: Financial Director (since 1994) with a focus on finance, control, actuarial, tax, capital management, real estate and financial and secondary risk management. Employment period: indefinite. Additional functions: treasurer of Stichting Los Niños, member of Supervisory Board and chair of audit committee Finances and Real Estate at Stichting Oktober.

Jon van Dijk (left),  Edzo Doeve and Jack van der Putten

Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2019, currently serving first term. Additional functions: chair of Supervisory Board of BinckBank NV, chair of Supervisory Board of Princess Sportsgear & Traveller BV, member of Supervisory Board of RAI Holding BV (until 16 April 2021), member of Executive Board of Stadhold Insurances SA, member of Executive Board of Vereniging AEGON, Ambassador for Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2015. Currently in second term. Position: professor emeritus in administrative information management at University of Amsterdam. Additional functions: chair of Supervisory Board of Chassé Theater NV, Chair of Cultuurfonds Chassé Theater, member of Executive Board of Stichting John van Geunsfonds, chair of Supervisory Board of Stichting Het Klooster Breda, chair of Executive Board of Stichting Via Nobel, Chair of Advisory Board of ILFA BV, confidential counsellor for NBA (Netherlands Institute of Chartered Accountants).

Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2009, currently serving third and final term. Position: retired. Additional functions: various Board memberships in the voluntary sector.

Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2014 and now in second. Position: interim manager. Additional functions: member of Supervisory Board of Woningcorporatie Waterweg Wonen, member of Supervisory Board and Audit Committee of Woningcorporatie Trivire, member of Supervisory Board of Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds voor de Agrarische en Voedselvoorzieningshandel, chair of Review Committee of Pensioenfonds Lloyds Register Rotterdam.

Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2019, currently serving first term. Position: partner Corporate Finance, Forensics & Recovery Joanknecht. Additional functions: member of Supervisory Board of Omroep Brabant, chair of Elefunds, member of Executive Board of Theaterfestival Boulevard, member of Supervisory Board of Hy2Care BV, member of Supervisory Board of Caelus BV, member of Supervisory Board of Matisse BV, chair of Stichting Stop Diabetes Invest.

All members are part of the Supervisory Board of DELA Coöperatie UA, DELA Holding NV and DELA Natura- en levensverzekeringen NV.

The Supervisory Board has six members and there is one vacancy.

Jan Pieter de Pender (left), Hans Leenaars, Willemien Caderius van Veen, John van de Steen and Georges de Méris

Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2012. Position: professor in Legal History and Civil Rights, Radboud University Nijmegen. Other positions: chair of Executive Board of Titus Brandsma Institute Nijmegen.