Aldi and John Lewis among shops closing for Queen’s funeralon September 12, 2022 at 3:48 pm

Stores including John Lewis, Waitrose and Homebase have said they will shut on Monday 19 September, as a sign of respect to Queen Elizabeth II on her funeral.

Luxury department store Harrods will also close.

A bank holiday across the UK was approved by King Charles III for the day of his mother’s funeral.

The Queen, Britain’s longest ever reigning monarch, died on Thursday at her Scottish estate in Balmoral.

John Lewis, Waitrose, Homebase and Blue Diamond Garden Centres have all said that they will shut on the day.

Andrew Murphy, chief operating officer at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “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.”

All John Lewis department stores and Waitrose shops will be shut on the day, although a small number of Waitrose stores along the route of the funeral procession may remain open.

Homebase said: “We join the country in mourning the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II and will be closing our stores on the day of her funeral, Monday 19 September.”

It added that the decision had been made “so our team members can choose to mark her incredible life of service”.

The UK’s second biggest garden centre chain, Blue Diamond Garden Centres, also said it would close.

“Following the recent announcement of the state funeral for HM Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19 September, as a mark of respect, we have taken the decision to close all of our garden centres and restaurants on this day,” it tweeted.

It added that it would “reopen as normal” on the following day.

Harrods had said last Friday that it would close. In a tweet, the department store said: “We will continue to commemorate the life of HM the Queen and pay our respects by closing the store on the day of the state funeral.”

It is expected other retailers will follow suit, either by closing altogether or by reducing operating hours.

Other aspects of daily life will also be put on hold for the date of the state funeral, with businesses and organisations choosing to close or halt their operations.

The Royal Mail has announced that its postal services will be suspended on the day.

However, Fullers Group – which has over 400 pubs across the country – said that it expected its pubs to be open on Monday.

A spokesperson told the BBC: “We anticipate that Fullers pubs will be opening on the day of the funeral to provide a place for people to come together and pay their respects.”