Lidl breaks ground on first ever pub in Northern Ireland

Lidl has started construction on its first ever pub in east Belfast in Northern Ireland as it aims to get around the country’s tight licensing laws, according to the BBC.

While Northern Ireland’s licensing requirements prevented the supermarket chain from acquiring a regular off-sales licence for its Dundonald store, building a pub legally permits it to operate an off-sales section.

The pub, which will hold up to 60 customers, will be located in a separate venue next to the Dundonald store.

Set to open this summer, Lidl said it will offer “selected lines” from the supermarket’s beer, wine and spirit collection, with an emphasis on local suppliers.

The legality of the proposal was initially contested in the High Court, with opponents alleging that Lidl had found an illicit loophole to run an off-licence.

In January 2025, Mr Justice Colton dismissed the dispute, deeming Lidl’s idea innovative rather than unlawful.

He ruled that “the fact that the application is a novel one is not a reason for refusing it”.

In Northern Ireland, a supermarket must meet two requirements before they can stock alcohol.

First, it must purchase a licence which has been “surrendered” by another premises, such as a pub which is shutting down, to limit the number of businesses which can sell alcohol.

A supermarket must then pass the “inadequacy” test, in which it has to show that there are not enough existing licensed locations in a single area to meet the needs of its population.

Lidl did not pass the inadequacy test for a standard off-licence in Dundonald, but was able to pass for a pub as two bars nearby have shuttered in recent years.

Gordon Cruikshanks, Lidl’s managing director for Northern Ireland, told the BBC: “After six years in the planning process, we’re delighted to today confirm the development of a brand new public house and associated off-sales located adjacent to our Dundonald store.”