John Lewis among retailers set to close for the Queen’s Funeral

The John Lewis Partnership has revealed, along with a number of other retailers, that it will close its John Lewis and Waitrose stores completely on the September 19th Bank Holiday for the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

All 33 John Lewis stores, including in Cheadle Hulme, will be closed, with only Waitrose stores on the funeral procession route remaining open to serve those attending the event, although will close during the funeral ceremony itself. Andrew Murphy, chief operating officer at The John Lewis Partnership, commented:

“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 John Lewis Partnership is one of a growing number of retailers announcing they will close stores for the Bank Holiday that marks the end of the official mourning period following Queen Elizabeth II’s death.

The group behind Sainsbury’s and Argos has announced all its stores will be closed on the 19th September, with only convenience stores and petrol stations open after the funeral concludes, from 5pm to 10pm, as well as select locations in central London. Grocery deliveries and Argos Fast-track Delivery services will also not be available. Other major supermarkets, including Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Co-op have also announced similar opening times for convenience stores only, with planned grocery deliveries cancelled. Discounters Aldi and Lidl will close all their stores.

Other retailers have also announced plans to close completely for the Bank Holiday Monday for the Queen’s State Funeral, including B&Q, Holland & Barrett, Primark, Waterstones, WH Smith, Wilko.

Transport for Greater Manchester has also confirmed that public transport across the city-region will run a typical Bank Holiday or Sunday timetable for buses and trams. A two minute silence will also be observed just before midday at transport interchanges, railway stations and on Metrolink services.