John Lewis and Waitrose among shops to shut on day of Queen’s funeral

Many stores across Britain will close on the day of Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral.

John Lewis, Primark, Aldi and Waitrose are among retailers shutting as a sign of respect on September 19.

There may be ‘a very limited number’ of Waitrose stores open near to the route of the funeral procession to serve mourners.

But bosses have stressed that these outlets will be closed during the ceremony itself.

Meanwhile, Homebase and Blue Diamond Garden Centres will also close to honour the country’s monarch of 70 years.

The move will give workers the opportunity to mourn with the rest of the nation, retailers said.

Shops are not required to turn away customers, government advice states.

Guidance says: ‘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.’

Other shops may be planning on offering reduced hours, as many do on other bank holidays. All are expected to reopen as normal on September 20.

Many other aspects of daily life have been put on pause following the loss of Her Majesty, who was 96.

Premier League matches were postponed at the weekend, while political satire on the BBC has been delayed.

The Royal Mail has announced services will be suspended on the day of the funeral, while post and train strikes have been delayed.

However, Brits will likely be able to gather in pubs to watch the funeral on TV.

A spokesperson for Fullers Group – which owns 400 pubs across the country – said they anticipated pubs remaining open ‘to provide a place for people to come together and pay their respects’.

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