John Lewis, Primark, Aldi to shut stores all day for Queen’s funeral, others likely to follow

Retailers such as John Lewis Partnership, Primark and Poundland will shut all of their shops for the day. Grocers Aldi and Sainsbury’s have also said they will close all day.

Many retail distribution centres will also stop operating for all or part of the day and some retailers, including beds specialist Dreams, will reschedule online deliveries booked for September 19.

John Lewis Partnership chief operating officer 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.”

The partnership has 34 department stores and 332 Waitrose shops. It said: “When full details of the funeral are confirmed, an exception may be [made for] 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.”

Marks & Spencer is understood to be considering a similar approach.

Value fashion giant Primark said: “Our stores, depots and head office in the UK will be closed on Monday, September 19 to give our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects and watch the funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. We will reopen as normal on Tuesday.”

Sainsbury’s eponymous and Argos stores will shut all day, with the exception of the grocer’s convenience and forecourt shops, which will trade from 5pm until 10pm.

Sainsbury’s said the closures for the funeral would include online groceries and Argos fast-track delivery. John Lewis and Waitrose will also not be delivering on Monday. The Partnership said: ”For those customers who had already placed orders for that date, we will be helping them to make alternative arrangements.

”Our John Lewis distribution centres will be closed from Sunday evening until late evening on Monday. Our Waitrose distribution centres will operate essential services on Monday, so we can make sure our shops and customers receive the products they need on Tuesday.”

It is unclear whether online retail more widely will also stop or suspend trading. A spokesperson for Amazon UK said it is considering its plans and would provide an update in due course.

It is thought that, across the industry, some online stores may remain open for orders but distribution centres will pause for at least the duration of the funeral, if not all day, and fulfilment will be stopped or paused.

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.”

Dreams will contact customers to rearrange any deliveries that are already planned.

M&S has removed September 19 as a delivery day option on its site. In its case, the large proportion of items ordered online but picked up in stores also influenced the decision.

Businesses are not obliged to close on the day of the funeral, which has been designated a bank holiday, but many are expected to – for the duration of the funeral, if not for the entire day.

Decisions about whether to close for the day or part of it have posed dilemmas for a variety of reasons. In food retail, there are big logistical challenges right through the supply chain affecting, for instance, fresh food replenishment.

Retailers of all types need to coordinate with suppliers, such as couriers, and consider factors such as staff and customer sentiment and staff availability – some employees, for example, will now need to look after their children because of the bank holiday.

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