Waitrose has confirmed that the vast majority of its supermarkets will close next Monday for the Queen’s funeral.
Waitrose’ parent company, The John Lewis partnership, has said that a limited number of branches on the route of the funeral procession may stay open to serve those that attend.
King Charles III announced that the Queen’s funeral, which will take place on Monday 19 September, would be a Bank Holiday.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen,” John Lewis Partnership chief operating officer Andrew Murphy said.
“We are 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.”
At the moment, there is no official guidance that retailers should shut on the day.
The government advice 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.”
It is thought that many supermarkets including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, will close between 10am and 2pm to allow staff to watch the funeral on TV, according to The Sun.
The news comes as supermarkets, retailers and brands pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
