About the bereavement register

The Bereavement Register® was launched by REaD Group (now called Sagacity Solutions Limited) in 2000 to help put a stop to direct mail sent after someone has died.

Originally formed in 1991, the company was founded on a single principle - to clean up the Direct Marketing industry by enabling companies to rid their databases of out of date and inaccurate information.

After successfully launching various data management products Mark Roy, founder of The Bereavement Register, turned his attention to the problem of mail continuing to be sent to the deceased.

"I understand first-hand the distress caused to bereaved families when direct mail is received after a person has died. I continued to receive mail addressed to my wife Sarah months after her death. This was upsetting for me but especially for our young children," explains Mark. "I was in the perfect position to do something about it and subsequently launched The Bereavement Register®."

The service is now used to screen over 70% of all direct mail sent within the UK.

Why is it important?

On average, a deceased person will continue to receive 110 items of direct mail during the first twelve months following their death. With upwards of 580,000 people dying annually in the UK (based on current ONS figures), this amounts to a massive 64 million pieces of unnecessary direct mail every year.

Since its inception, Sagacity estimates that The Bereavement Register® has stopped upwards of half-a-billion items of post being sent to the deceased.  As well as assisting grieving relatives and friends at what is a very difficult time, the service also reduces the environmental impact of the production, delivery, and waste generated by undeliverable direct mail.