About us
Global Funeral Services was established in 2017 as an international venture by two family-owned funeral companies, GRUP VFV SL and Cabré Junqueras SA, for the purpose of seeking growth opportunities in the funeral sector outside Spain.
GRUP VFV SL, comprising 15 subsidiary and investee companies, is a leader in the Catalan funeral sector, with a 300-year history. It owns numerous brands, including ÁLTIMA, GIC de Nomber and AURENS. With over 120 years of experience, Cabré Junqueras SA is the largest independent family- owned funeral company in Catalonia and has an extensive network of funeral parlours. Together, the two companies currently own the largest network of funeral parlours, crematoriums and cemeteries in the whole of Catalonia.
The services offered by the Global Funeral Services companies have been designed to make the funeral process as straightforward as possible for families from start to finish – from the funeral service and wake to the crematorium or cemetery.
The result is the seamless cohesion of two companies that have always worked to care for others. A new group whose guiding philosophy is that of quality, excellence and understanding.
Total dedication to serving families
Our main goal is to meet the needs of every client and provide them with a personalised service, that becomes the service, a family or person turns to.
Professional and personal development
We are committed to programmes tailored to today’s training requirements that guarantee the personal and professional development of all employees; equal opportunities policy to all of the team members and safety and prevention of workplace accidents.
Sustainability
We had made a firm commitment to preserving the environment by ensuring the continuous improvement of our environmental impact through various actions: Photovoltaic panels, Electric vehicles, by using biodegradable urns, launching ecological burial services...
Mission
Our mission is to provide funeral and burial services that meet the needs of families, insurance companies, local authorities and official bodies, hospitals, care homes, etc., irrespective of social background, race, religion or any other aspect.
Accordingly, Global Funeral Services applies the following joint operation principles to every project it undertakes:
- To develop and provide a range of innovative, comprehensive, high-quality, products and services which are competitively priced, environmentally friendly and tailored to clients’ needs.
- To benefit from a qualified, motivated team, that works together to provide an efficient, decisive, flexible, innovative service based on streamlined company processes, and where each member has a development path within the company.
- To design and operate modern, practical, comfortable facilities able to provide the highest quality service expected by our clients.
- To maintain a level of profitability that allows us to make the necessary investments, as well as to pay appropriate remuneration to the company’s various financial stakeholders, maintaining a sound balance sheet.
- To form a group of companies which is cohesive, integrated, trustworthy, resolute and a recognised leader in the funeral sector and every strata of society.
- To achieve managed growth, taking advantage of worthwhile opportunities that arise.
Main Facilities
Funeral Parlours
Crematoriums
Managed Cemeteries
Global Funeral Services
The sum of the human and material resources as well as the experience in the funeral sector both companies provides GFS with the capacity to face the challenges posed in this new project.
Institutions and Membership of Industry Organisations
At Global Funeral Services, we meet the needs of every kind of client. Fulfilling this goal makes our company the natural partner for organizations that require cost-effective, professional funeral services.
In addition, as a member of the major organizations representing our sector, we are able to access the collective knowledge, experience and contacts developed by these bodies.
- Public Authorities in the regions where we operate: local councils, public bodies, judiciary, records offices, police forces with whom we work on a daily basis, healthcare centres and elderly care homes.
- Industry organisations at a regional, national and international level: Associació d’empreses de Serveis Funeraris de Catalunya [Catalan Association of Funeral Directors], Patronal Nacional de Servicios Funerarios de España (PANASEF) [Funeral Directors’ Association of Spain], European Federation of Funeral Services (EFFS), International Federation of Thanatologists Associations (FIAT-IFTA) and Funeràries de Catalunya (Funecat) [Funeral Parlours of Catalonia], (ASCE) Association at significant Cementeries of Europe, (ALPAR) Asociación Gremial Latinoamericana de Cementerios and Servicios Funerarios, and (AFCM) Associació de Funeraries and Cementiris Municipals.
Innovation
The constant search for solution is the way we respond to the needs and demands of our users and collaborators, i.e., insurance companies, municipalities, official organizations, hospitals, nursing homes, etc.
Innovation is present in all aspects of our business. From the design and development of our products and services, to the way we relate to our families and associates.
- A different “All Saints”. In addition to the traditional commemorative ceremony with live music, we celebrated the first “normal” All Saints day after the pandemic by offering some added touches for the families who visited us at the Roques Blanques Cementery: infusions, meditation, chestnuts, and contemporary dance performance.
- Artus Coffin. A new model of a coffin with a slate lid where families can write messages and leave drawings in memory of the deceased.
- Open air ceremonies. The garden area at the Áltima Ronda de Dalt Funeral Parlour is used as an outdoor oratory for open-air ceremonies. Tents, catering and music are available for families.
Technology
Using innovate audiovisual technologies, we accompany families and relatives as they say goodbye, personalising waking rooms and crematoriums with music and images to create a more pleasant and welcoming environment.
- Immersive reality. As the coffin enters the incinerator, a vide with a theme previously chosen by the family is projected, accompanied by relaxing sounds and music. This innovate service has already been introduced at the Áltima Gironès and Áltima Terrassa funeral parlours and there are plans to offer it at other locations.
- Audiovisual equipment at the Áltima Sant Andreu – Nou Barris Funeral Home. This funeral home has large format screens to personalise services with the Iris system. The high-resolution screens are positioned in a way that guarantees a perfect view from any angle. An immersive audio system, together with the room’s acoustics, helps to create a soothing atmosphere to bid farewell to loved ones.
Certificates and awards
Global Funeral Services has received various certificates and awards for both its companies:
- ISO 9001:2015 Quality management.
- ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management.
- Service quality management under the regulation UNE-EN 15017:2006.
- EMAS Registration (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme), an environmental register with rigorous requirements.
- System for measuring family satisfaction, known as NPS (Net Promoter Score), scoring an average of 9,2 out of 10.