Golden Charter, the UK's biggest independent funeral business, has reinvented itself as a direct seller of funeral plans and "end of life products".

The move has seen staff numbers at its Milngavie centre rise from 30 to 140.

Headed since 2008 by former ScottishPower marketing director Ronnie Wayte, the Bearsden-based firm has grown plan sales by 50% since then and is targeting continuing growth of 20% a year – six times the current growth rate of the rest of the plan market.

It runs £300million of clients' money in an independent trust, while operating as a not-for-profit umbrella body for 700 of the UK's 2100 funeral directors, including 100 in Scotland. It accounts for 60% of the market.

Mr Wayte said: "It is probably the last bastion of family-owned businesses – one of the last true local services.

"We do not have to make a profit, our key goal is protecting the market share of independents and ensuring they survive as a sector.

"We reinvest everything we have, either to grow market share or ensure that pay-outs to funeral directors are bigger than anyone else's, so they can offer the lowest prices.

"Every time we grow we cut our unit margins, so we can pay the funeral directors more."

"We started in a fairly traditional marketing and telesales approach, and have built a fairly sizeable call centre," Mr Wayte said.

He has also set up a sister business which sells end of life products relating to wills, pre-paid probate and powers of attorney.

Mr Wayte added: "The whole reputation thing is really important to us, we are ultimately owned by family businesses."

'