Poundland and B&Q to close all stores for Queen’s funeral
HUNDREDS of B&Q and Poundland stores will close for the Queen's funeral on Monday, September 19.
The Queen's state funeral will be a bank holiday and several major retailers have now set out whether or not they plan to open.
It comes as The Sun revealed four major supermarkets are planning to operate on a reduced hours basis too.
Tesco, Asda, Waitrose and Morrisons are working on plans to close for a limited amount of hours.
Sources told The Sun that large supermarkets will shut roughly between the hours of 10am and 2pm.
However, smaller convenience stores will remain open, in part to ensure that the thousands of people expected to gather to watch the funeral will be able to buy water and food for the day.
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All 313 B&Q and 770 Poundland stores will shut to customers next week.
Aldi and Sainsbury's have also confirmed that they'll shut their stores next Monday.
However, Sainsbury's plans to keep its convenience stores and petrol stations open as normal.
It means staff of these retailers will be able to watch the Queen's funeral on television.
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The news follows Primark's decision to close all 191 of its stores, as a mark of respect.
A B&Q spokesperson said: "As a mark of respect for the State Funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and to offer our colleagues the opportunity to pay their respects, we have taken the decision to close all our UK stores on Monday 19 September.
"Our click and collect and home delivery services will also be temporarily suspended on the day."
A spokesperson for Poundland said: "We know how important it is that colleagues have the opportunity to join with their families and pay their respects on the day the funeral takes place.
"Any colleagues who were scheduled to work on 19 September, will receive their scheduled pay in full."
The Queen's funeral will take place on Monday, September 19 at Westminster Abbey at 11am.
B&Q, Poundland and Primark aren't the only retailers to close next Monday.
It is thought that Marks & Spencer will close its clothing stores for the day, and stores with both food and clothing sections will operate on a reduced hours basis.
John Lewis Partnership will close 321 Waitrose stores, and all 34 of its department stores.
Retailers are "taking their lead" from the Government over whether or not to close, a British Retail Consortium spokesperson said.
Meanwhile, it will be up to pubs and restaurants as to whether they close during the nation’s period of mourning.
The day after the Queen’s death was announced department stores Selfridges and Liberty closed their doors and had the Union Jack flags outside their building at half mast.
King Charles gave his approval to make the Queen's funeral a bank holiday.
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New guidance from authorities confirms that each employer needs to make their own decision on whether or not they will give staff the day off.
That means you may or may not be able to take the day off work.