In Russia, the demand for memorial services has fallen by 80%

The demand for memorial services in Russia to Easter, when residents of the country traditionally equip graves, decreased by 80%. The reason is the increase in prices for materials and an increase in the supply of supply. About this with reference to the market participants writes "Kommersant".

Demand began to fall since the beginning of April. As the head of the funeral houses "Cranes" Ilya Boltunov specified the publication, this is not typical for this period - due to the approaching Easter.

"The reduction in demand is comparable to 2020, when the cemeteries in a number of regions were completely closed due to the pandemic," he said.

In the "cranes" since the end of February, the services for the improvement of graves have risen in price by a sharp increase in equipment for equipment and transport. The granite used for the manufacture of tombstones has risen several times, and the services of masons by 30%.

There are also problems with the supply of granite on the market. As explained by the director of the Union of funeral organizations and crematories, Elena Andreeva, initially funeral companies agree with the manufacturer at the same price and based on it determine the cost for the final consumer, but at the time of redeeming the supplier, the price is already higher, which leads to losses.

There are only a few manufacturers in Karelia on the market, where there is a granite deposit, but they create an artificial deficit, warning that the order should be made in three months, Ilya Boltunov added. Most of the raw materials are left from China, with which the calculations are in currency.

The interlocutors of Kommersant also noted that the purchasing power of people has decreased. They try to put the graves of loved ones in order on their own. Such a trend began during the pandemic. So, despite the increase in mortality in 2021 by 15.1%, the official income of the funeral business grew by only 12.5%, follows from the data of Rosstat.

Not only memorial services, but also the funeral themselves went up in price. Back in February, the funeral, which cost 60 thousand rubles, today has grown to 75 thousand rubles. This happened because the prices of coffins increased - due to the rise in the cost of wood and logistics.