Aldi to close for Queen’s bank holiday with other major supermarkets also partly shutting

Some of the UK’s biggest supermarkets have announced they will be closing on the day of the Queen’s state funeral.

Aldi was one of the first to announce its planned closure, with the supermarket today saying it will be shutting all stores on Monday September 19th to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth on the day she is laid to rest. 

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

Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Morrisons, Asda and Waitrose are also said to be working on plans to reduce their opening hours on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral.

According to reports, the supermarkets will shut their big stores for around four hours as a mark of respect and to allow staff and customers to watch the televised funeral from their homes. 

It is believed that large supermarkets will shut between the hours of 10am and 2pm.

However, the smaller convenience stores will remain open to ensure customers are able to buy groceries and other essentials throughout the day.

Other retailers including Marks and Spencer and John Lewis are also said to be finalising plans to reduce their hours on the day of the funeral.

Tesco PLC / Flickr

A spokesman for The British Retail Consortium 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.”

However, it isn’t mandatory for shops and businesses to close their doors on the day of the funeral, with government advising: “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.” 

The Queen’s funeral, set to be held at Westminster Abbey at 11am, also marks a nationwide bank holiday, with schools ordered to close for the day.

Much like the closure of shops and businesses, guidance from the government has confirmed that giving employees the day off will be down to the discretion of each individual employer, who will need to make their own decision on whether or not they will give staff the day off.