LEADING retailers and supermarkets have announced plans to shut their big stores for the Queen’s funeral next Monday.
Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Waitrose, Lidl, Asda, Iceland and Tesco are to close the doors of their larger stores on the day Queen Elizabeth II will be laid to rest.
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For a full list of shops that are shutting, read our guide.
Supermarket giant Tesco has said its Express stores will be open until 5pm.
Sainsbury’s has also confirmed that it will shut 600 supermarkets for the day, apart from smaller convenience store and petrol station locations which will be open from 5pm to 10pm.
Asda is to close all its stores from midnight on Sunday, September 18, to 5pm on Monday – reopening after the funeral service.
A spokesman said staff contracted to work while the stores are closed will receive their normal pay.
Those who work when the stores reopen, will be paid double time for the rest of the day.
Morrisons will also close all of its stores, but its petrol filling stations will reopen at 5pm.
Budget supermarkets Aldi and Lidl are also set to close their doors so customers and staff can pay their respects and watch the service on TV.
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As a mark of respect, Iceland has also decided to close all of its stores.
Co-op is also set to close all of its of its stores until 5pm on September 19.
A number of stores within central London and towards Windsor will remain open during the day to serve customers who will be in the Capital to be part of the funeral.
Primark has confirmed that all of the high street giant’s 191 stores will be closed on Monday, September 19, as a mark of respect.
Poundland, Wilko and B&Q have said they will shut their doors for the day out of respect and to allow staff to watch the event.
High street shop Zara will also close its doors as a mark of respect.
Argos, which is owned by Sainsbury’s and has many tills within supermarket locations, will also close.
Other retailers are also preparing to shut some stores.
John Lewis and Waitrose, as well as Marks and Spencer, are closing their shops as a mark of respect.
But some of their smaller convenience stores will remain open.
John Lewis Partnership is keeping a handful of food shops open along the funeral route but is shutting all of its 34 department stores and its remaining 321 Waitrose stores for the day. Waitrose holds a Royal Warrant.
A spokesman for The British Retail Consortium said: “Retailers are taking their lead from Government and are choosing to mark the Queen’s passing in ways they deem appropriate for their staff and customers.”
Another industry source said that retailers were trying to navigate all the pros and cons of the different options.
The government has advised: “Some businesses may wish to consider closing or postponing events, especially on the day of the State Funeral, however, this is at the discretion of individual businesses.”
At midday there will be two minutes of silence across the nation and the London Stock Exchange will close, meaning no UK shares will be traded.
The day after the Queen’s death was announced department stores Selfridges and Liberty closed their doors and had the Union Jack flags outside their building at half mast.
There are usually eight annual bank holidays for workers in England and Wales, while those in Scotland normally get nine or ten – depending on the timing of New Year and patron saint days.
There was an additional bank holiday earlier this year on Friday 3 June 2022 to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which official figures showed dented the UK’s economy due to lower business levels.
It will be up to pubs and restaurants as to whether they close during the nation’s period of mourning.
Andrew Murphy, chief operating officer, The John Lewis Partnership says: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen.
“We will be closing our stores on the day of her funeral as a mark of respect, and because we believe this is the right thing to do for our Partners and customers.”
