Raft of major supermarkets confirm stores will close for the Queen’s funeral

A raft of major supermarkets have confirmed stores will close for the Queen’s funeral on 19 September.

Aldi, Lidl and Iceland both said all their stores would close for the day.

“As a mark of respect, all Aldi stores across the UK will close on Monday 19 September to allow our store colleagues to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen,” Aldi tweeted on Monday afternoon.

Lidl followed with a statement saying: “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.”

Iceland MD Richard Walker tweeted on Tuesday morning: “All of our Iceland, Food Warehouse and Swift stores will be closed on Monday, in order for people to pay their respects to our late, great Monarch. Colleagues will of course be paid for the hours they would have worked.”

Other supermarkets said a few stores would remain open to provide essentials and help customers who would be in London for the funeral.

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A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman 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, 19th 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.”

Tesco said large stores would close and Express stores would only open from five, except for a few in central London, which would be open throughout the day to help those attending the funeral get what they need. Staff who chose to work would be paid a premium and online deliveries would be suspended for the day, the supermarket said.

Tesco UK CEO Jason Tarry said: “We want to express our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, as well as our gratitude to Her Majesty The Queen for her unwavering service. On Monday 19th September, in order for our colleagues to pay their respects, our large stores will be closed all day and our Express stores will remain closed until 5pm.”

An Asda spokesman said: “As a mark of respect for Her Majesty The Queen, all Asda stores will be closed on Monday 19 September 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 19th September.

“All our stores will close by midnight on Sunday, 18 September and reopen at 5pm on Monday, 19 September. Those colleagues contracted to work while the stores are closed will receive their normal pay. Any colleagues who work when the stores reopen will be paid double time for the rest of the day.”

Co-op said stores would open only from 5pm, with the exception of a number in central London and around Windsor, which would remain open during the day to serve the thousands of customers who would be visiting the capital for funeral. 

Co-op CEO Shirine Khoury-Haq said: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen. As a mark of respect and to give our colleagues, customers and members time to reflect and mourn, we will be closing our stores.”

Morrisons tweeted on Tuesday afternoon: “All our supermarkets will be closed on Monday 19 September as a mark of respect and so colleagues can pay tribute to Her Majesty. At 5pm our petrol filling stations will reopen.”

It followed confirmation from JLP at the weekend that its department stores and 321 Waitrose stores will close for the day. The business plans to leave only a few Waitrose stores open along the route of the funeral procession but will also close these during the funeral service.

JLP COO Andrew Murphy 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.”

A Waitrose spokeswoman added: “When full details of the funeral are confirmed, an exception may be a very limited number of Waitrose stores on the route of the funeral procession to serve members of the public who we know will be lining the route for many hours. These shops will, however, close for the funeral itself.”

No delivery slots are available on the day of the funeral at Ocado, with all delivery slots previously made on the day now cancelled. 

Other supermarkets are still working out their plans for the day, according to sources.

A BRC spokesman said: “Retailers are taking their lead from government and are choosing to mark the Queen’s passing in ways they deem appropriate for their staff and customers.”

M&S is expected to close clothing stores and reduce opening hours for mixed food and clothing stores.

Among other retailers, Poundland has also confirmed it would close. A spokesman said: “All 770-plus UK Poundland stores will close on 19 September for the whole day.

“We know how important it will be that colleagues have the opportunity to pay their respects next Monday, as the country comes together to honour and celebrate the life of the Queen.

“We can therefore confirm that we will close all our UK stores next Monday.  We can also confirm any colleagues who were scheduled to work on 19 September will receive their scheduled pay in full.”