British business is grinding to a halt on Monday for the Queen's funeral, with most big chains closing

• Supermarkets, fast food chains, gas stations, and cinemas across Britain will close on Monday.
• The UK government said some workers may not get paid if businesses do not open.

British people who fail to stock up their fridges this weekend might find it difficult to find food on Monday as many supermarkets and fast food chains will not open to mark the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

The two biggest supermarket chains, Tesco and Sainsbury, will keep all their larger stores closed, with only the smaller convenience shops opening after 5pm. All Aldi and Lidl stores will not open on Monday, but Asda plans to reopen at 5pm.

Gas stations operated by the supermarket chains will also close, with some reopening after 5pm.

McDonalds, which has about 1,300 UK outlets, said in a Twitter post it would close all its UK stores on Monday until 5pm in honor of the Queen and to allow staff to "pay their respects."

KFC will also close many of its restaurants until after the funeral has taken place, it said on its website. "A small number of restaurants will remain open throughout the day, including some of those located in central London."

The bakery chain Greggs will also close its stores, as will company-operated Costa coffee shops.

Many pubs will be open, however, and some restaurants and cafes may also decide to keep trading.

Department stores Harrods, John Lewis, House of Fraser, and Selfridges announced in social media posts they will close their doors on Monday for the royal funeral.

Harrods, the luxury department store, announced on September 9 it would close its store in Knightsbridge, west London, to pay its respects and commemorate the life of Queen Elizabeth II.

Cinema chains including Cineworld, Odeon, and Showcase said on Twitter it would close and Vue Cinemas said it would only remain open to screen the funeral at some sites for free, but customers would not be able to purchase food or drinks.

Other shops that have confirmed plans to close on Monday include furniture giant Ikea, home improvement chain B&Q, and clothing retailer Primark, along with dozens of other British retailers.

The British Retail Consortium has published a list of chains not opening on Monday here.

The retailers join a growing list of businesses in the UK that will halt operations on September 19 for the Queen's farewell after the government announced there would be a national holiday on Monday.

There is no statutory entitlement to time off, the government said in its statement, and that employers include the bank holiday in staff holiday time, meaning some businesses may choose not to pay staff if they close.

The British public is already grappling with a cost-of-living crisis including soaring energy bills and even a small cut to take-home pay could exacerbate the situation for struggling households.

Businesses that pause trading on Monday could be at risk of causing harm to the British economy, which is facing a looming recession at the end of this year, the Bank of England predicted in August.

The majority of stores are expected to reopen on Tuesday.