Shops such as John Lewis, Waitrose and Homebase have announced they will close on Monday September 19 as a mark of respect to Queen Elizabeth II at her funeral.
The luxury department store Harrods will also close.
For the day of his mother’s funeral, King Charles III. a bank holiday approved across the UK.
The Queen, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, died at her Scottish estate in Balmoral on Thursday.
John Lewis, Waitrose, Homebase and Blue Diamond Garden Center have all said they will close on the day.
Andrew Murphy, Chief Operating Officer at John Lewis Partnership said: “We will close 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 remain closed on the day, although a small number of Waitrose shops along the route of the funeral procession may remain open.
Homebase said: “We join the country in mourning the loss of HM Queen Elizabeth II and will close our shops on the day of her funeral, Monday 19th September.”
It added that the decision was made “so that our team members can mark their incredible lives of service.”
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The UK’s second largest chain of garden centers, Blue Diamond Garden Centres, also announced its closure.
“Following the recent announcement of the State Funeral for Queen Elizabeth II on Monday 19th September, as a mark of respect we have taken the decision to close all of our garden centers and restaurants on that day,” she tweeted.
It added that it would “reopen as usual” the following day.
Harrods had announced last Friday that it was closing. 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 that other retailers will follow suit, either by closing altogether or by reducing opening hours.
Other aspects of daily life are also suspended for the state funeral date as businesses and organizations close or cease operations.
The Royal Mail has announced that its postal services will be suspended on the day.
However, the Fullers Group – which has 400 pubs across the country – said it expects its pubs to be open on Monday.
A spokesman told the BBC: “We expect Fuller’s pubs to open on the day of the funeral to provide a place for people to come together and pay their respects.”
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