Edisindonesia.com - Queen Elizabeth II passed away on September 8, 2022. Since then, the procession leading up to his state funeral has been carried out.
The procession began from Balmoral Castle, Scotland, where he breathed his last at the age of 96.
Beneath the mourning atmosphere came the blessings of the shops and hotels closest to Buckingham Palace, the official royal residence in the capital London. They were in high demand during the series of ceremonies surrounding the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Quoting DW Indonesia, Wednesday (14/9/2022), buckingham Palace Road remains crowded when Prince Charles is proclaimed as King Charles III in a ceremony at St James's Palace. In the Bag O' Nails pub, the ceremony was televised, but the sound of television drowned chatter and the clinking of glasses.
Patricia Hajali, manager of the Cool Britannia souvenir shop down the street, said she had thought the atmosphere would be a little gloomy ahead of Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, which will take place on September 19.
"I guess people are in the process of reflecting, as in the process of mourning. We don't play music upstairs, out of respect," he said. But it turned out that the atmosphere was lively and busy. It's even busier than usual, the Costa Rican-born Briton said.
Retail Sales Increase
In the UK, royal weddings, celebrations and births in the royal family often create a surge in turnover in stores, according to the UK Retail Research Centre. But researchers say they still can't estimate turnovers related to funeral services.
Previously, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee celebration in early 2022, the increase in retail turnover reached more than 400 million pounds (around Rp 6,940 trillion) between April and June.
Cool Britannia manager Patricia Hajali certainly welcomed the increase in turnover, although there were also disadvantages. "In terms of business turnover, it has indeed increased, but it is also a big loss."
Particularly in high demand are cups, magnets, keychains, and Queen Elizabeth II patterned T-shirts. "Anything with the [Queen's] image," he said. People want to have a little memory. "It's not just the British. People from all over the world," he added.
Business is also on the rise at the Pulbrook &Gould flagship store on Buckingham Palace Road, a luxury flower shop that has longstanding connections to the kingdom. People bought a lot of roses and lilies to put outside the palace, manager Erik Karlsen said. Many also choose garden flowers as a tribute. "Mainly because of the Queen's devotion to the British countryside and her love of flowers and gardens," the 63-year-old told DW.
Hotel Bookings Soar
Store manager Erik Karlsen said he also expects orders from the royal family ahead of the funeral. Pulbrook & Gould has also previously performed a number of weddings and state events over the years, he explained.
The hospitality business also showed improvement. The chief officer at the upscale hotel The Rubens, Joan Goncalves, who hails from Portugal, said the surge in bookings had been seen since Friday (9/9), the day after the death of Queen Elizabeth II. "Everyone wants to come to London," he told DW.
Returning to the Cool Britannia store, Patricia Hajali explained that the merchandise with the motif of King Charles III had been ordered and would arrive at her shop on Wednesday (14/9). But according to him, the items probably won't sell as well as Queen Elizabeth II's trinkets. So far there hasn't been much demand for items with images of the new King, he said.
Patricia Hajali said she hoped King Charles III would rule well, but could not be equated with his mother. "She (Elizabeth) had the opportunity to be our Queen for decades."
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