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Thursday and Friday are bank holidays in Great Britain as part of the queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II marks the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. In the United Kingdom, the usual bank holiday that takes place at the end of May was moved to the start of June to create a four-day bank holiday weekend from June 2 through June 5.
Elizabeth ascended the throne on February 6, 1952. Since then, the queen has had three major jubilees: her Silver in 1977, Golden in 2002, and Diamond in 2012. In addition, there were Ruby and Sapphire Jubilees in 1992 and 2017 respectively, although these were more modest affairs
Here’s what’s open throughout the celebration, and what’s not.
SHOPS AND DEPARTMENT STORES Most shops operate on shorter hours on bank holidays in order to allow employees to have time for celebration. Fortnum & Mason, M&S, John Lewis, Selfridges, and Harrods will all offer special Platinum Jubilee picnic hampers at a variety of price levels for those who wish to celebrate, all featuring an assortment of items ranging from Scotch eggs to meat pies to tea, biscuits, crumpets, and scones.
ROYAL MAIL There will be no Royal Mail postal collections or deliveries in England, Wales, Northern Ireland or Scotland on Thursday and Friday. Services will then return to normal on Saturday.
BANKS Banks, by definition, are closed on bank holidays.
FINANCIAL MARKETS The London Stock Exchange is closed for trading both on Thursday and Friday.
PUBS In April, the British Parliament passed an order to extend licensing hours in pubs. As a result, pubs will remain open two hours longer than usual throughout the four-day weekend.
GROCERS On Thursday and Friday, most Waitrose stores will be open from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Little Waitrose stores will open at 7 a.m. Most Waitrose stores will follow their usual hours on Saturday and Sunday, however. Likewise, most John Lewis stores will open at 9 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and follow normal hours on Saturday and Sunday. The hours for Tesco stores will vary by store, so the company advises to check the specific store before heading out. M&S said that all of its stores will remain open as usual during the bank holiday weekend except for a “small handful” that may have “slightly amended hours.” Likewise, Morrisons will also follow its usual hours. Finally, A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s said that the “vast majority” of its supermarkets across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. over the bank holiday, while the majority of Sainsbury’s Local stores, as well as stores in Scotland, will be open as usual.
DISCOUNT GROCERS Aldi and Lidl will follow their bank holiday standard over the Jubilee bank holiday, which translates to reduced hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
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