Both Lidl and Aldi will close their stores on the day of The Queen's funeral, Monday, September 19. Tesco has also announced it will close its large stores for the day, with its Express stores remaining closed until 5pm.
Waitrose and Sainsbury's had both already said they will close for the funeral. Other major supermarkets -including Asda and Morrisons and Coop- are thought to finalising their plans.
According to reports in the Sun, it is likely that they will reduce their hours, with it being thought that large stores could be shut between 10am and 2pm to allow both staff and customers to watch the funeral.
Argos, B&Q and Poundland, John Lewis and Primark have also confirmed that they will not open their doors on Monday, September 19.
On Facebook, Lidl said: "In honour of Her Majesty and to allow our colleagues to pay their respects, we will be closing all of our stores across England, Scotland and Wales on the day of the funeral. Thank you to everyone for your understanding."
Aldi said all its stores will close "as mark of respect" and to "allow our store colleagues to pay tribute to Her Majesty The Queen".
Jason Tarry, Tesco UK CEO 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.”
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, September 19.
"This includes Groceries Online and Argos Fast Track delivery. Our convenience stores and petrol filling stations will be open from 5pm to 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.”
Argos stores will also be closed on the day of the Queen's funeral, it has been confirmed. However, Sainsbury's will open smaller stores and petrol stations in the evening.
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 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 these shops would close during the funeral itself.
Poundland said all its 770 UK stores will close for the whole day, and staff scheduled to work on September 19 will receive their pay in full. “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,” Poundland said.
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.”
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.”
Retailers are not required to shut their doors on the day of the funeral, and others may choose to open for reduced hours, as many regularly do on other bank holidays.
The Government guidance is: “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.”
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