1 In brief

There is no escaping the fact that 2021 started and ended in lockdown. After more than a year of protective measures, by the summer people were starting to think we were slowly moving out of the pandemic. Life even seemed ‘normal’ for a while in September but, as the number of infections rose again in the autumn, society was forced to revert to restrictions. Our employees saw it all happening again as mortality rates rose. Although it took a lot of energy to scale back up for this new pandemic wave, we stayed true to DELA’s principles. Convinced of our vision that every goodbye should be respectful, our work continued. The pressure on colleagues increased due to the rise in the number of funerals, which in turn led to more absence through illness, quarantines, children at home and care leave. We helped and supported each other throughout and are proud of the way DELA coped. With all due respect to other employees, we would like to especially thank those on the frontline of our funeral company and the people who supported them.

The Yarden takeover was realised in the summer as DELA safely (re)accommodated around one million insured people. Yarden had been suffering financial issues for some time due to the continued low interest rates and resulting high financial obligations. The idea behind the takeover was that a strong collective would support a weaker one to create a single, even stronger collective. Thanks to the takeover, DELA welcomed around one million policyholders as well as a large number of funeral centres and crematoriums. This increased our scale and enhanced DELA’s coverage in the Netherlands with its own locations. It is a good example of a win-win situation: the takeover allows DELA to offer Yarden financial stability with protection against inflation and a reinforced service provision while increasing the chance of profit distribution for our own members in the long term.  

The takeover meetings started in 2019. While the process was long, both parties always believed we had to do what was right for everyone, acceptable for society and fitting for who we are... And we are pleased with the result.

There is still a lot of work to do in terms of integration. Our primary focus is on fulfilling our promises to members and clients. While we cannot unfortunately offer all staff job security, we are approaching the process carefully, with respect and maximum transparency, and taking the time to ensure a proper integration. Following a sizeable operation involving many integration and formation plans, all Yarden employees had been informed of their future by the end of 2021. The plans were approved by the works councils of both Yarden and DELA, marking the completion of a major goal for 2021.

Customer satisfaction was once again very high, although it did come under pressure in the Netherlands during the final quarter due to the reduced reachability of our customer contact centre. Many callers had questions about the necessary improvement of access security to our online services, and understaffing due to the pandemic also played a role. DELA Belgium realised a slight improvement in customer satisfaction, with a significant improvement for the customer service department.

Up to and including 2020, DELA had used the Great Place to Work (GPtW) survey to measure employee satisfaction. This method had brought us a lot over the years, continuously stimulating us to improve. Despite achieving first place several years in a row, however, we looked for a new benchmark based on our conviction as an organisation that there is always more to learn. The benchmark we chose to use involves a survey by Effectory and the initial results have been good. Compared to the average of all participating companies we scored higher in all themes. Comparing our scores to the best performing companies showed that room for improvement remains. This was exactly the point of the exercise of course and we have already set to work to achieve this.

DELA has seen growth in the number of people insured in all three countries that we serve. DELA Netherlands, Belgium and Germany each autonomously welcomed more than 30,000 insured people. The so-called ‘free market’ funerals lagged behind our growth plan in the first half of 2021. This was partly due to the fact that, as a market leader, we applied the COVID protective measures in the strictest sense, which cost us customers. In the second half of the year, when fewer restrictive measures applied and we were able to offer similar services to our competitors, we realised a clear recovery in this segment. Now, in 2022, we are working on further increasing our commercial strength in this market segment.  

DELA has an excellent reputation. The takeover of Yarden and our visibility in relation to the pandemic helped further improve this in 2021, giving us the highest reputation score seen to date.

Financially, the results for 2021 are in line with our goals. The operational result improved by 41 percent to €54 million. The investment result was a considerable €646 million. While DELA’s business model with its offensive investment strategy means the value of our investments fluctuates every year, this was certainly to our advantage in 2021 with a net yield of 9.3 percent. We ended the year with a group result after tax of €435 million. Although this is a fine outcome, it doesn’t mean much in DELA’s case: where we were able to share profits in years of loss, this was not the case in 2021 due to the extremely low interest rates. Our results fluctuated considerably due to our investment mix. Everything ultimately revolves around our solvency, and this was undeniably robust at 266 percent by the end of 2021. This allows us to keep the premium increase for the ‘natura’ (in-kind) funeral policy low for our members over time. Thankfully, we were also able to limit funeral cost inflation in 2021.

In addition to the high volume of activities caused by COVID-19 and the Yarden takeover, DELA successfully embarked on a new course based on solidarity & continuity. We are placing membership centre stage in all the countries in which we operate under the ‘saying goodbye and sharing memories’ banner. This goes far beyond providing insurance and funeral services alone. It builds on initiatives from previous years, with an increased focus that continues outside the DELA brand under the flag of the cooperative. Taking solidarity & continuity as the starting point, our InnovationLab is looking at new domains in the Netherlands in order to build an additional pillar for the cooperative. While this requires lots of patience, the first steps have been taken and we are used to long-term projects and distant horizons.

At the time of writing this annual report we were shocked by the sudden outbreak of war in Ukraine. This makes it harder for us to look to the future with clarity. There is a strong sense of engagement with the events in Ukraine and the millions of refugees, including among our staff. While this affects our operations in various ways, we have to remain confident in our strength. Or more to the point: the conflict in Eastern Europe makes it even more important to reconsider our own values and fight to preserve them.

The DELA cooperative celebrated its 85th birthday on 11 March 2022 – a wonderful milestone. In the decades in which we’ve been active, DELA has stayed loyal to who we are and what we represent. Nowadays, we are a cooperative of millions of individuals, and to keep with the times we will continue to move with the social, economic and technological changes and stretch our boundaries further. Both now and into the distant future.

Eindhoven, 30 April 2022
DELA Cooperative

The Executive Board
E. (Edzo) Doeve, CEO / chair
J.A.M. (Jack) van der Putten, CCO / vice-chair
J.L.R. (Jon) van Dijk, CFRO

The establishment of funeral company 'Draagt elkanders lasten' [carry each other’s burdens – tr.] 85 years ago was the result of a steadfast conviction and a great deal of determination. Since then DELA has have developed into a strong collective with a unique cooperative business model.

What makes DELA so unique is the way the cooperative has successfully developed a sustainable business model based on the ideal of solidarity. By ensuring a strong collective of people, creating financial buffers and facing up to challenges over time, the cooperative has proved its worth from generation to generation.

Supporting people in difficult times, regardless of background, social status or wealth, gives our work meaning. We are a cooperative and that means we have two key principles as our foundation: solidarity cannot exist without continuity and vice versa.

Solidarity
First the solidarity. As the saying goes, many hands make light work. We achieve more together by being a strong collective based on equality and reciprocity. Together we are the cooperative and that means actively sharing burdens and benefits. We all contribute when times are tough and we all reap the rewards when times are good.

This solidarity is not without obligations. You have to opt to connect with the cooperative via DELA membership. The fact that solidarity works is proven by the millions of people who have joined.

Continuity
We strive to retain a sustainable and robust cooperative model where the financial foundations are strengthened by growth and the broadening of our sources of income. We aim for a long-term relationship with members and creating added value for members and customers alike is key. Growth is not  a goal in itself, but it is crucial to the continuity of the cooperative. Membership growth allows us to keep premiums as low as possible and preserve solidarity from one generation to the next. This keeps our cooperative heathy and ensures continuity, our second key principle.

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.

DELA has over 5.3 million insured, with nearly 3.2 million individuals in the Netherlands also being members of the DELA cooperative. In 2022, Belgian policyholders also gained access to cooperative membership, and we are still investigating this option for German customers. We will consider whether member access will be possible for Yarden policyholders in the medium term. Members are organised in 40 geographical departments, four of which were added in 2021 as a result of the Yarden takeover. Each department chooses a representative and a replacement. Together, they form the general meeting and act collectively as DELA ‘shareholder’, giving members the final say on DELA’s general policy.

DELA has a yearly premium income of nearly €600 million and manages assets of more than €9 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.

Another unique characteristic of the cooperative related to solidarity is that members carry a limited risk themselves. In exceptional market conditions, the premium can be additionally increased (up to a certain limit) to preserve the solvency of the collective. This allows the premium to be kept low in normal market conditions.

DELA is made up of insurance and funeral companies in the Netherlands and Belgium. In the Netherlands we have 99 funeral centres and 46 crematoriums. In Belgium, DELA facilitates a respectful goodbye via 64 funeral centres (from 122 locations), 3 crematoriums and a repatriation centre. DELA also became active as an insurer in Germany in 2018.

The Yarden takeover in 2021 initially resulted in an addition of 47 funeral centres and 24 crematoriums. Meeting the conditions for approval of the takeover, DELA sold two of Yarden’s funeral centres in 2021. Another six Yarden crematoriums (with three funeral centres) and one DELA crematorium (which also accommodated a funeral centre) are due to be sold in 2022. This means that, on balance, the Yarden takeover resulted in an additional 41 funeral centres and 17 crematoriums.

For society
DELA is a cooperative with a mission, established in 1937 to give everyone the opportunity to have a respectful goodbye, regardless of background or social status. Being connected to others and facilitating people to share memories creates a more meaningful existence. By listening and asking questions, we help others discover more meaning.

For our members and customers
DELA achieves this mission by insuring and arranging funerals. With over 150 funeral centres, 54,500 funerals a year and over five million people insured, DELA is market leader in the Benelux region and a scale-up in Germany. We facilitate people with funerals or cremations, repatriation, after-care and related financial services, all at an affordable price.

As a cooperative, DELA supports everyone with word and deed. For members we invest in our service provision, allowing everyone in society to use our facilities, including the crematoriums and funeral centres. Our members gain the most benefits via their membership.

In addition to being insured with us, we aim to develop valuable contacts with members on issues related to the ‘saying goodbye and sharing memories’ domain. This goes beyond funerals alone, involving issues such as registering funeral wishes, employing a notary service and providing support in custody cases, inheritance matters, the mourning process and more. Services are developed based on member needs, which we can only do by listening carefully. We also increasingly focus on the ‘sharing memories’ concept – in addition to the period of the funeral itself, we encourage people to share and pass on values, events, stories and life lessons.

For our loved ones
Everything we do is about connecting the generations. Death is part of life. Life may go on after we lose a loved one but it isn’t always easy. DELA helps those left behind to get on with their lives via after-care and services related to custody, inheritance and donations. What you give is what you eventually leave behind so we stimulate the passing on of memories, experiences and values while people are still with us.

For our people
Our employees are the driving force behind the cooperative. At the end of 2021 DELA employed some 3,000 people (around 2,200 FTE). Committed, honest and enterprising, they work tirelessly to realise DELA’s mission in three countries by expanding our membership, giving people quality insurance products, ensuring good investment results, providing an excellent service and dignified funerals, offering sustainable and cost-efficient activities, and contributing to our own employee satisfaction. They see DELA as an organisation that is also engaged with their wellbeing, treats them fairly, trusts them and provides space for personal development and growth.

The strategy for the period 2021-2025 was initially established In the autumn of 2020. In the Netherlands we somewhat temporised the further development of the strategic goals, especially in view of the Yarden takeover. In addition, all national organisations prioritised the extra business due to Covid-19. The year 2021 was therefore a year of transition, in which we further developed the chosen course, including our ambitions for our six main goals for 2025.

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.

DELA Group
DELA Group has set itself the following ambitious goal for 2025: “In 2025 our cooperative has given new meaning to solidarity and cooperative business.” The goal can only be achieved when the goals of the independent business segments in the DELA Group are realised.

The goal of DELA Netherlands and DELA Belgium is to grow within the domain of saying goodbye and sharing memories. This will realise new members and help retain current ones, increasing the interactions with existing members and enhancing our relationship with them. We aim to provide support in more issues involving goodbye and memories.

The current developments will continue for DELA Germany where, in addition to growth via brokers, we are developing our online channel.

Another aspect of the ambitious goal of DELA Group is growth outside the current domain, which may involve developing new business models related to solidarity in other social areas than end-of-life. For this development we have established an InnovationLab outside of the independent business segments.

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 Belgium
The ambitious goal in Belgium revolves about being even more valuable to our customers and around growth: "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. In Belgium, too, we want to intensify the relationship with our customers and use this to refine our products and services so they are optimally aligned to demand. In addition, we will focus on growth both in terms of insurance and funeral services. With the latter we will also place an emphasis on realising a sustainable financial return.

DELA Germany
In the coming years, we will explore the options for a separate membership in Germany, and investigate whether customers would be willing to pay for it. We also want to ensure our products offer more mutual solidarity, namely by sharing the burdens and the benefits. The market for funeral insurance in Germany is relatively new. As a party in the domain of saying goodbye, DELA aims to increase this market and in doing so stimulate further growth of the cooperative.

Innovation
DELA aims to make solidarity work for as many people as possible and in as many ways. We are convinced that solidarity and the strength of the collective can also make a difference in other domains than saying goodbye and sharing memories. Via autonomous developments and takeovers, DELA aims to develop new, healthy business models which also help realise the growth of our member database.

The mission of DELA Group is focused on encouraging connections through solidarity. This entails: ‘using the power of solidarity to connect society and ensure the continuity of the cooperative. This is how we support each other.’ The mission is based on the conviction that we are here for each other. That we help carry each other’s burdens so we can all enjoy the benefits together. We also believe that solidarity and the power of the collective can make a genuine difference. And that solidarity works, including in other domains than saying goodbye and sharing memories.

Six main goals have been formulated to make the ambitious goal more concrete; three under solidarity and three under continuity.

Solidarity
Solidarity starts by developing a valuable membership experience via an instinctive connection among members with what the cooperative represents on the one hand, and by developing what DELA can do for its members on the other. This involves providing support in the domain of saying goodbye and sharing memories with an increasing number of products and services to enable a long-term connection and relationship with our members. DELA aims to further strengthen its reputation as a reliable, professional, supportive and humane business among both existing members and society as a whole. Together with our solidarity and cooperation, this makes DELA unique and distinctive.

Continuity
Realising our solidarity ambitions places certain demands on our organisation. The employees are the driving force behind the cooperative. DELA makes considerable investments in our people to ensure they are engaged, proud and healthy and have sufficient space for personal development. The COVID-19 period showed that we are flexible as an organisation and have a lot of resilience and perseverance. Important preconditions for accelerating the organisational development involve the digitisation of processes and systems and the proper organisation of processes, protocols and the resulting space for flexibility. This helps ensure continuity and supports the realisation of the goals related to membership and domain development. At the same time, we also focus on sustainability and corporate social responsibility in order to run a fully climate-neutral business by 2030.

Our solid financial policy ensures a strong financial foundation. To further guarantee the continuity of the cooperative in the long term, DELA aims to further broaden this basis with income from various products and services. The less we depend on the in-kind funeral insurance policies in the Netherlands with which everything started 85 years ago, the better.

Male, Dutch citizen. Position in the DELA Group: CEO, Chair of Executive Board (since 2004). Focal areas: strategy, internationalisation, general policy, HR, communication, CSR, internal audit, information technology, procurement and administrative and legal affairs. Also active as Managing Director DELA Netherlands (since 2004). 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 Brabantse Dag, member of Advisory Board ORMIT.

Male, Dutch citizen. Position in the DELA Group: CCO, Member of Executive Board (since 2010) and Deputy Chair (since 2010). Focal areas: strategy, insurance, cooperative issues, funeral care and services, customer intelligence and processes, customer service and innovation. Also active as Director DELA Netherlands (since 2010) and CEO of Yarden Holding BV (from 2 August 2021). Employment period: indefinite. Additional functions: chair of Stichting Onbeperkt Genieten, member of Supervisory Board UNC Holding BV.

Male, Dutch citizen. Position in the DELA Group: CFRO, Member of Executive Board (since 2014). Focal areas: strategy, external supervision, finance, control, actuarial, tax, capital management, real estate and financial and secondary risk management. Also active as CFO Yarden Holding BV (from 2 August 2021). Employment period: indefinite. Additional functions: treasurer of Stichting Los Niños, board member Stichting Derdengelden Muntenburg Advocatuur (from April 2022), 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

The Supervisory Board has six members. All members are part of the Supervisory Board of DELA Coöperatie UA, DELA Holding NV and DELA Natura- en levensverzekeringen NV. In addition, four Supervisory Board members and Janhein Pieterse form the Supervisory Board of Yarden Holding BV. The members in this Board are indicated with an asterisk (*) below.

Male, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2019, currently serving first term. Function: professional supervisor, DGA Ansteen Holding BV. Other additional functions: chair of Supervisory Board of BinckBank NV, chair of Supervisory Board of Princess Sportsgear & Traveller BV, member of the Executive Board of Stadhold (Randstad) Insurances SA, member of Executive Board of Vereniging AEGON, Ambassador for Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, vice-chair and member of the Supervisory Board of RAI Holding BV (until 16 April 2021).

Male, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2015. Currently in second term. Position: professor emeritus in administrative information management at University of Amsterdam, professional supervisor. Additional functions: 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.

Male, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2021 by members of the general meeting, currently in first term. Position: retired. Former senior staff member Finance, De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). Additional functions: council member Vereniging Eigen Huis.

Female, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2014 and now in third term. Position: professional supervisor, DGA Caadje BV. Additional functions: chair of the Review Committee Pensioenfonds Lloyds Register Nederland, member of Supervisory Board of Woningcorporatie Trivire, chair of the Supervisory Board) Stichting Icone (from 24 October), chair of Supervisory Board of Bedrijfstakpensioenfonds voor de Agrarische en Voedselvoorzieningshandel (until 30 November), member of Supervisory Board of Woningcorporatie Waterweg Wonen (until 1 July).

Female, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2022, currently in first term. Position: Chair of Executive Board of health insurance company Zilveren Kruis. Additional functions: vice-chair of Zorgverzekeraars Nederland, Executive Board member of Kansfonds.

Male, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2019 by members of the general meeting, currently serving first term. Position: external consultant Corporate Finance, Forensics & Recovery Joanknecht. Additional functions: member of Supervisory Board of Omroep Brabant, member of Supervisory 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 stichting Stop Diabetes Invest, board member Stichting FSO (from March 2022).

Hans Leenaars (left), John van de Steen, Georges de Méris, Georgette Fijneman, Frits van Bree, Willemien Caderius van Veen

Male, Dutch citizen. Appointed in 2009, position ended after serving third and final term.