As the UK and rest of the world continue to feel the deep loss of Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-serving monarch, King Charles III’s recent address to a nation in mourning honours her impeccable legacy.
“Her dedication,” His Majesty said, “and devotion as Sovereign never waivered, through times of change and progress, through times of joy and celebration, and through times of sadness and loss.”
Are retailers closing their stores in response to the Queen’s passing?
In general, shops across the UK remain open following the death of Queen Elizabeth. There’s no mandate for any businesses to close shop as Britain navigates through a period of national mourning.
In addition, banks and financial institutions like Lloyds, HSBC and Nationwide appeared to be open to support customers with essential financial services.
However, some major retailers and organizations have decided to close their doors out of respect for the late Queen.
Brands that decided to close their businesses out of respect for the Queen include:
Liberty London
Liberty, a historic department store in London, was one of the first to announce store closures the day after the Queen’s passing.
The Soho-based retailer said: “Our heartfelt sympathy and thoughts are with the royal family at this sad time.”
“As a mark of respect, the Liberty store will be closed until Saturday September 10 at 10am while we join the country in mourning.”
Selfridges
Selfridges also announced on Thursday evening that they would close all stores on Friday.
They reopened at the weekend.
French Connection
Fashion retailer French Connection also announced that they would be closing all 26 of their stores across the UK.
A spokesman said: “Following the sad news of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, we will close the doors of all our French Connection stores on Friday September 9.”
How are other retailers responding to the Queen’s death?
Brands across the UK are also paying their respects to Her Majesty by changing their logos to black and posting their condolences.
Here are a few examples:
M&S were among the first to send their condolences to the royal family during this difficult time.
Poundland also shared some sincere words.
Finally, Amazon posted a black square to honour the queen.
Will shops be open during the Queen’s funeral?
Ultimately, there’s nothing in the Operation London Bridge protocol outlining that shops must close on the day of the Queen’s funeral (Monday 19th of September).
However, the day of her funeral will be a Day of National Mourning and treated as a standard bank holiday in the UK. Many shops and organizations are expected to announce closures.
For example, several major grocery retailers like Aldi and Lidl have now announced that they will be closing all stores on the day of the state funeral. However, selected venues on the funeral route are expected to remain open.
Essential service providers such as grocery retailers have now followed suit and declared that their stores will be closing on the day of the funeral
Which retail stores will close during Queen Elizabeth’s funeral?
So far, some major retailers have already announced plans to close their stores to honour Queen Elizabeth II on Monday the 19th.
Brands include:
Harrods
The Luxury Department Store retailer Harrods was among the first to announce that it would not be open on the day of the Queen’s funeral.
John Lewis
As was John Lewis, who will close all stores within the JL partnership like grocery retailer Waitrose on the day of the funeral. It’s worth noting that a select few Waitrose stores on the funeral route (which is yet to be confirmed) are expected to remain open to serve members of the public.
ASDA
At the time of writing, Asda is to close their stores from midnight on the 18th of September until 5 pm on Monday. They will be reopening after the funeral service.
It’s worth noting that Asda is still finalizing the details for reduce opening hours on the 19th of September.
Other organizations that have announced closures
Additionally, the following organizations will close during the state funeral:
Royal Mail
Royal Mail has notified their customers that their delivery services will be suspended on the day of Queen Elizabeth’s funeral.
Simon Thompson, chief executive of Royal Mail stated: “We want to make our customers aware that services will be suspended on the day of the funeral as people come together to honour Her Majesty, after 70 years of exemplary service to the nation and the Commonwealth.”
London Stock Exchange
Business leaders may also be interested to know that the London Stock Exchange will be shut on the day of the Queen’s funeral.
Sporting governing bodies
From the Premier League and Rugby Union to F1, many sporting events scheduled for Friday the 9th of September were postponed following news of the Queen’s passing.
Many sporting organizations have confirmed that while games will continue to be played as normal in the coming days, they will postpone any events that fall on the day of the Queen’s funeral out of respect.
What to expect
With a few aforementioned exceptions, most retail stores remain open to the public during the period of national mourning in the UK. Normal trading is expected to return in full when the UK’s official period of national mourning ends on Tuesday the 20th. At this point, businesses will resume preparations for the busy peak season ahead.
