Aldi, Asda, B&Q and Primark are among dozens of shops that have announced they will shut their stores next Monday, the day of the Queen’s funeral. Monday, September 19, will be a bank holiday in the UK as the Queen’s state funeral takes place in London.
Retailers are not required by law to shut their doors on the day of the funeral, but many have announced that they will be. Others retailers may choose to open for reduced hours, as many regularly do on other bank holidays.
The Government guidance states that businesses "may wish to consider closing or postponing events, especially on the day of the state funeral". However, it adds that this is "at the discretion of individual businesses".
READ MORE:
A full list of all the shops that will close is slowly being confirmed as stores and organisations announce their plans. Here are all the shops that we know of so far that will stay shut on Monday.
This list will be updated as further announcements are made.
Aldi
Aldi said all of its stores will close on the day of the funeral. Confirming the closures on Twitter, Aldi said: "As a mark of respect, all Aldi stores across the UK will close on Monday, September 19 to allow our store colleagues to pay tribute to Her Majesty The Queen."
Asda
Asda stores will be closed for part of the day on Monday. The supermarket said it will shut all its stores until 5pm on the day of the funeral to allow employees to watch the event.
An Asda spokesman said: “As a mark of respect for Her Majesty The Queen, all Asda stores will be closed on Monday September 19 until 5pm to allow our customers and colleagues to recognise the passing of our late monarch and commemorate her steadfast service to our nation. We will not be offering online deliveries on Monday September 19.
“All our stores will close by midnight on Sunday September 18 and reopen at 5pm on Monday September 19."
Lidl
Supermaket Lidl will also keep stores closed. A spokesperson said: "We can confirm that as a mark of respect and in honour of Queen Elizabeth II, we will be closing all of our stores across England, Scotland and Wales for the day of Her Majesty's funeral, Monday 19th September. We are grateful to all Lidl customers for their understanding and will be keeping all who mourn Her Royal Highness in our thoughts during this time."
Sainsbury's and Argos
Sainsbury's and Argos will both close for the day, but petrol stations and convenience stores will be open for a limited number of hours in the evening.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened by the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. In honour of Her Majesty and so our colleagues can pay their respects, all Sainsbury’s supermarkets and Argos stores will be closed on Monday, 19 th September.
"This includes Groceries Online and Argos Fast Track delivery. Our convenience stores and petrol filling stations will be open from 5pm-10pm to allow our customers to pick up essential items, while select stores in central London will open to serve those attending the funeral in person. We thank our customers for their understanding."
Primark
Primark confirmed it will shut all its 191 high street stores on Monday and they will reopen for normal hours the following day.
A Primark spokeswoman said: “Our stores, depots and head office in the UK will be closed on Monday September 19 to give our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects and watch the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We will reopen as normal on Tuesday September 20.”
M&S
M&S said it will close stores and also halt deliveries to customers on Monday.
Stuart Machin, chief executive at M&S, said: “All of us at M&S – and indeed across the country and beyond – feel a real and deep sense of loss and sadness at the passing of Her Majesty, as well as huge respect for the grace with which His Majesty King Charles III and the wider royal family have led the nation in our mourning.
“It is right that we make changes to our operational arrangements on the day of the funeral to ensure our colleagues across our stores and distribution network can participate, whilst supporting customers as they show their respects too.”
He added there will be “limited exceptions in London and Windsor”, where M&S will serve customers paying their respects to the Queen. These stores will be shut during the funeral itself, the retailer highlighted.
John Lewis and Waitrose
John Lewis confirmed that it will shut all its stores as a mark of respect. John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets will be closed all day for the funeral.
Andrew Murphy, chief operating officer of The John Lewis Partnership, said: “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.”
It added that there may be “a very limited number of Waitrose stores” near to the route of the funeral procession which remain open to serve members of the public nearby. It stressed that these shops would be closed during the funeral itself.
Poundland
A spokesperson for Poundland said: "We know how important it is that colleagues have the opportunity to join with their families and pay their respects on the day the funeral takes place.
"Any colleagues who were scheduled to work on 19 September, will receive their scheduled pay in full."
B&Q
A B&Q spokesperson said: "As a mark of respect for the State Funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to offer our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects, we have taken the decision to close all our UK stores on Monday 19 September.
"Our click and collect and home delivery services will also be temporarily suspended on the day."
Wilko
Jerome Saint-Marc, wilko CEO, said: “The whole wilko family continues to mourn the loss of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. As a mark of respect, we will be closing our stores all day on Monday 19th September so that team members can commemorate the life and service of Her Majesty with their families.”
Dunelm
Dunelm stores will be closed on Monday and deliveries will be paused, the retailer's CEO confirmed.
Nick Wilkinson said in a statement: "The death of Her Majesty The Queen last Thursday has been a source of grief across the nation, the Commonwealth and the world. As a Royal Warrant holder through our Dorma brand, all of us at Dunelm are honoured to have been able to serve The Queen and the Royal Households for many years.
"The nation is now readying itself for The Queen’s State Funeral on Monday 19th September and as a mark of our respect, we will be closing all Dunelm stores and pausing delivery, Click & Collect and customer services on the day of the Funeral. We will reopen on Tuesday 20th September."
Dreams
Dreams chief executive Jonathan Hirst said: “Our heartfelt sympathy and thoughts are with the royal family at this sad time. We will be closing all areas of our business, including our stores, and pausing all deliveries on Monday September 19 so that our colleagues can come together with the rest of the country to pay their respects to Her Majesty the Queen.”
READ NEXT:
- Plumber says cheap £15 B&Q device could slash 'thousands' off your heating bill
- Queen's children walk behind her coffin in Edinburgh procession
- Iceland boss' desperate plea as supermarkets are forced to stay closed
- 'It's a great loss': Guardsman who patrolled Buckingham Palace during Coronation pays tribute to the Queen
- How the Queen responded in one of Manchester's darkest hours
