Those needing to head to the supermarket will need to plan ahead as several supermarkets announce they will shut doors to mark the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.
Among the stores closing are Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Morrisons, and Waitrose. A spokesperson for the John Lewis Partnership, which runs both Waitrose and John Lewis, told The Mirror: “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.”
In addition, Aldi took to Twitter to announce it would close its stores on the day of the funeral as a sign of respect and a chance to give employees time to honour Her Late Majesty. As for major retailers Asda and Tesco, they are still deciding if they will remain open.
New guidance from the government states each employer needs to make their own decision on whether or not staff will have the day off. If one works the day of the funeral, staff are asked to speak with their bosses to get a day’s holiday in lieu. It is the same policy for overtime rates and reclaiming annual leave days if it’s granted as a free day by the employer.
Her Late Majesty’s funeral will take place at 11 am on Monday, 19 September.
The funeral has officially been declared a Bank Holiday meaning many will already be off work.
