Center Parcs and Odeon cinemas among businesses closing for Queen’s funeralon September 13, 2022 at 2:24 pm

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Major supermarkets, John Lewis and Primark have all also said they will close on Monday 19 September.

Center Parcs Sherwood Forest

Center Parcs and Odeon cinemas are the latest businesses to say they will be shut in the UK on Monday 19 September, as a mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II on the day of her funeral.

Supermarket chain Asda will also close all its stores on the day until 17:00.

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.

In a statement, holiday firm Center Parcs said it had made the decision to close its five UK sites on the day of the funeral “as a mark of respect and to allow as many of our colleagues as possible to be part of this historic moment”.

It advised guests who were due to arrive on that day not to travel, and holidaymakers who are already at the sites must depart by 10:00 on Monday. Everybody affected by the closures will receive an email explaining their options.

Odeon cinemas in the UK will also close on the day, reopening on Tuesday, while Hollywood Bowl said it will close until 13:30 on Monday.

Supermarket chain Asda has joined a string of supermarkets in announcing that it too will shut its stores on Monday until 17:00. Online deliveries will not be offered on the day either.

Meanwhile, Curry’s has confirmed that it will close all of its stores across the UK on the day.

Other major businesses that have said they will be shut in the UK on Monday to mark the proceedings include:

  • Aldi
  • Argos
  • B&Q
  • Blue Diamond Garden Centres
  • Harrods
  • Homebase
  • Ikea
  • John Lewis
  • Lidl
  • Morrisons
  • Primark
  • Sainsbury’s (however, Sainsbury’s convenience stores and petrol filling stations will be open from 17:00 until 22:00 while select stores in central London will open to serve people attending the funeral)
  • Larger Tesco shops (the company’s smaller Express shops will open at 17:00, but a small number of stores in central London and Windsor will remain open throughout the day to provide for people attending the funeral)
  • Waitrose (a small number of Waitrose stores along the route of the procession may remain open)
  • WH Smith high street stores (the company’s travel stores will be closed at least for the duration of the funeral)
John Lewis store

Image source, Getty Images

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, while leisure group Better said all of its leisure centres, libraries, venues and spas will be closed too.

However, many non-retail businesses are expected to remain open on the day.

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

A spokesperson told the BBC: “Pubs are an integral part of the community and we expect the majority of our pubs to be open to join with their communities and celebrate the life of an amazing and inspirational leader.”

Butlin’s holiday resort also said that it is staying open on Monday, with some changes to arrival times.

The government advises on its website that the additional Bank Holiday “will allow individuals, businesses and other organisations to pay their respects to Her Majesty and commemorate Her reign, while marking the final day of the period of national mourning.”

Although it says that some businesses “may wish to consider closing or postponing events”, there is no statutory entitlement to time off for workers.

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