Home » UK Business News » British business to grind to a halt on Monday for the Queen’s funeral

British business to grind to a halt on Monday for the Queen’s funeral

By Nagasunder in UK Business News, posted September 19, 2022

Many fast food chains and supermarkets will be closed today as Britain grinds to a halt for Queen Elizabeth II's funeral.

Tesco and Sainsbury's will close all of their larger stores, with only the smaller convenience stores opening after 5 pm.

All Aldi and Lidl stores will be closed on Monday, but Asda will reopen at 5pm.

Supermarket-operated petrol stations will also close, with some reopening after 5pm.

KFC will also shut many of its restaurants until after the funeral.

It said on its website. "A small number of restaurants will remain open throughout the day, including some of those located in central London."

Greggs and company-operated Costa coffee shops will also close.

However, many pubs will remain open, and some restaurants and cafes may also continue to operate.

Harrods, John Lewis, House of Fraser, and Selfridges announced on social media that they will be closed on Monday for the royal funeral.

The luxury department store Harrods announced on Friday, September 9 that it would close its store in Knightsbridge, west London, to pay its respects and commemorate Queen Elizabeth II's life.

Cinema chains such as Cineworld, Odeon, and Showcase announced their closures on Twitter, while Vue Cinemas stated that it would only remain open to screen the funeral at some locations for free, but customers would not be able to purchase food or drinks.

Along with dozens of other British retailers, furniture giant Ikea, home improvement chain B&Q, and clothing retailer Primark have confirmed plans to close on Monday.

The British Retail Consortium has published a list of chains that will not be open on Monday.

After the government announced a national holiday on Monday, the retailers join a growing list of businesses in the UK that will close on Monday, September 19 for the Queen's farewell.

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The government said there is no statutory entitlement to time off and that employers include the bank holiday in staff holiday time, implying that some businesses may choose not to pay employees if they close.

The British public is already facing a cost-of-living crisis, including skyrocketing energy bills, and even a small reduction in take-home pay could aggravate the situation for struggling households.

Businesses that suspend operations on Monday risk harming the British economy, which is expected to enter a recession by the end of the year, according to the Bank of England's August forecast.

The majority of stores will reopen on Tuesday.

Source: Business Insider

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