Although King Charles III declared today a national holiday, every business can decide whether to open normally, as most establishments tend to be open in the UK for most of the year.
However, the official closure of schools and kindergartens leaves children out of school and creates problems for parents, so many businesses have chosen to close the whole day to allow employees to attend funeral services.
The result of this shutdown could lead to a 0.2% decline in gross domestic product in September, and Simon French, of investment bank Panmore Gordon, told the Economist that the holiday could lead to a lower GDP by 0.2%. It cost £2,000m (€2,300m) in lost revenue.
This effect could send the UK into a technical recession sooner than expected, in an economy already showing signs of crisis as it grew by just 0.2% in July.
Gross domestic product had already fallen 0.6% in June, a performance attributed to the extra holiday announced for the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebration.
Supermarket chains Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi, Waitrose, Lidl, Asda, Iceland and Tesco have confirmed they will close their supermarkets, but will open some small downtown stores from 17:00 after the festivities end.
Among the major retailers, furniture stores Ikea, computer stores Currys, Argos chain, B&Q homeware and apparel chain Primark and Sports Direct, among many other companies, will also close their doors.
Odeon and Cineworld cinemas won’t open, while Vue Cinemas, instead of movies, will offer funeral shows for free but without popcorn.
Restaurants, Greggs and like McDonald’s will also close or have reduced hours, but conversely, most “bars” are expected to be open.
The Fullers Group plans to open most of the nearly 400 pubs across the country to “provide a place where people can meet and show respect” to the Queen, while Wetherspoons will wait until 1pm, except in London, where they will operate as normal.
The holiday will also affect mail delivery, consultations and operations at medical centers and hospitals, eliminating routine operations.
Gross domestic product actually fell 0.6% in June, but not all sectors lost, as transport in the London area regained some of the movement it lost during the Covid-19 epidemic, and flower sales rose thanks to the thousands of people who contracted them. Come to Buckingham Palace to pay their respects.
Elizabeth II died on September 8 at the age of 96 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, after more than 70 years on the throne, the longest reigning in the history of the United Kingdom, her body was in a burning room in the British Parliament House in London. , until Monday.
A state funeral attended by dozens of international heads of state and government will be held on Monday at Westminster Abbey in London.
The urn, along with the Queen’s body, will finally be interred during a special family event, in a vault at Windsor Castle where the remains of her parents and sister are, and the coffin of her husband, Prince Philip, will be carried. at the age of 99 in 2021.
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