Houlihan Lokey Advises Epiris and Pure Cremation

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Epiris and Dean Lamble, Pure Cremation’s CEO, have sold a structured minority interest in Pure Cremation (Pure), a leading provider of prepaid funeral plans in the U.K., to Centerbridge Partners (Centerbridge), which will be investing both in Pure’s debt and equity instruments. The transaction closed on 1 April 2026.

Pure is the leading provider of prepaid funeral plans in the U.K. and a pioneer of the market for direct cremations, which offer a simpler, more affordable alternative to a traditional funeral. Its proposition spans both at-need services and FCA-regulated pre-need plans. Pure’s service model is underpinned by exceptional customer advocacy, with more than 30,000 five-star reviews and delivery from its freehold-owned, state-of-the-art crematoria.

Epiris acquired Pure in 2023, working in partnership with industry veteran Dean Lamble, who then became the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Since then, Dean and his team have both driven rapid growth in the overall funeral plans market and cemented Pure’s leadership within it. At the end of 2025, Pure was named a national winner of the BVCA’s Vision Awards, which recognise outstanding management teams.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Epiris and Pure. This transaction further strengthens Houlihan Lokey’s practice in consumer financial services distribution across a range of end verticals, where the team has recently advised on a number of transactions.

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