Many leading UK ecommerce and multichannel retailers are this morning marking the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Department stores Liberty London and Selfridges have also taken the decision to close their shops for the day. Retail and industry bodies expressed their sympathies with the Royal Family, while retailers also marked the Queen’s death, announced at 6.30pm last night, on their websites.
Selfridges has closed its stores in London, Manchester and Birmingham for today as a mark of respect, and has dedicated its home page to a portrait of the Queen. Liberty London says on its home page: “Liberty is deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and grateful for her long life of dedication and service. Our heartfelt sympathy are with the Royal Family at this sad time. As a mark of respect, our store will be closed until Saturday 10th September at 10am while we join the country in mourning.”
Fortnum & Mason, which served the Queen and has held a royal warrant since 1954, has lowered its flag to half-mast and stopped the clock on its Piccadilly facade clock.
“It is with great sadness that we learnt of the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II,” the grocer says on a home page that is dominated by an image of the Queen. “We are proud to have held a warrant from Her Majesty since 1954, and to have served her and the royal household throughout her life.
“As a sign of our deep respect, we have lowered our flag to to half-mast and have stepped the Piccadilly facade clock. We are grateful to Her Majesty for a lifetime of devoted service to the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth.”
Commemorating the Queen online
Harrods’ home page displays an image of its flag at half-mast alongside a statement of condolence, which says: “We stand with the nation in grief on the passing of Her Majesty the Queen. Her Majesty stood as a symbol of Britain, bringing comfort, leadership and steadfastness to millions over her 70-year reign. On behalf of Harrods and our employees, we send our deepest condolences to the Royal Family and are united in remembrance of her life dedicated to public service.”
John Lewis says on its home page, “We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty the Queen. She faithfully served the national as our Sovereign during her long, happy and glorious reign. We extend our heartfelt sympathy to The Royal Family.”
On its home page, Marks & Spencer says: “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. For over 70 years she has dedicated her life to service for her country and the Commonwealth, and been a figure of national unity and stability at a time of enormous change.
“She has led us at all times with a quiet determination and selfless devotion, and has been all that is the very best in us.” It adds: We join the Royal Family and the nation in their grief and offer the Royal Family our heartfelt condolences.”
Sainsbury’s says on its retail website: “We are very sorry to learn of the passing of Queen Elizabeth II. She was a truly remarkable woman and an inspiration to so many people. We thank her for her decades of service to our country. Our thoughts and condolences are with Her Majesty’s family at this difficult time.”
Its corporate website features a statement on the passing of the Queen, recalling her attendance at celebrations for the supermarket’s 150th birthday, saying: “We were so grateful to her for the time she took to celebrate with us.”
On Asda’s home page, the supermarket says: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty The Queen and profoundly grateful for her steadfast service to our nation.”
Retail and industry bodies
In a statement, Helen Dickinson, chief executive of the British Retail Consortium says: “The retail industry joins the world in mourning the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. We extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family. For over 70 years, The Queen has been a source of solidarity and strength for this nation. Her loss will be felt across the country and she will be deeply missed.”
Tony Danker, CBI director-general, says: “The CBI and the UK business community join the nation in mourning the passing of Her Majesty The Queen.
“Throughout her unprecedented 70 years on the throne, HM Queen Elizabeth II served the nation with distinction as a stalwart example of British values of honour, dignity and resilience. She dedicated her life to the people of the UK and the Commonwealth, providing compassionate and inspirational leadership during the many challenging times of her long reign.
“Times are hard right now – made more so by the loss of our much-loved Queen – and our tribute should be to work tirelessly to build a better future for the people of this country in memory of Her Majesty.”
