Lidl 开酒馆：北爱尔兰的卖酒法律

Lidl spent 500,000 pounds to open a pub in Northern Ireland.

This matter.

It doesn't sound like something a supermarket would do.

On April 22, 2026, Startups reported this matter for the first time.

On June 17, 2026, the BBC went to Dundonald before the pub opened.

In June 2026, this pub opened in Dundonald, next to Belfast.

The pub is called The Middle Ale.

This name comes from the famous 'middle aisle' in Lidl supermarkets.

The pub's walls have many colors.

In the pub you can see the supermarket's food and drinks.

Lidl says this is not an advertisement.

But many people, when they first heard about this matter.

They thought it was an advertisement.

A supermarket, why would it open a pub?

The answer is in Northern Ireland's alcohol sales laws.

In Northern Ireland, you want to sell alcohol.

You cannot apply for a new license.

You have to find a shop that is going to close.

You need that shop's license.

This rule has a name: 'surrender the license'.

The effect of this rule is: the number of places selling alcohol in Northern Ireland will not increase.

The second rule is the 'inadequacy' test.

You have to explain clearly.

The existing pubs in this area are not enough for the people here.

If there are already many pubs here, you cannot open a new one.

These two rules make opening a pub in Northern Ireland.

Harder than in other parts of the UK.

Lidl wanted to sell alcohol in its supermarket in Dundonald.

Lidl applied for a supermarket license.

But Lidl did not pass the 'inadequacy' test.

Because next to the supermarket, there was already a small shop selling alcohol.

The owner of this small shop opposed Lidl's application.

Lidl did not give up on this plan.

Then, Lidl applied for a pub license.

This time, Lidl said: two pubs next to the supermarket have already closed.

So, the pubs in this area are not enough.

This time, Lidl passed.

But the owner of that small shop took this matter to court.

He said: Lidl is exploiting a legal loophole.

The court heard this matter.

In the end, the court did not agree with this owner, and Lidl won.

For this matter, Lidl waited 6 years.

Lidl's manager Gordon Cruikshanks said, Northern Ireland's alcohol sales laws have many problems, and many people know this.

He said, they waited many years.

He said, opening a pub is the best way for them to sell alcohol here.

Lidl spent 500,000 pounds on this pub.

Lidl also hired 8 people to work in the pub.

The pub has the supermarket's things.

People can drink beer here.

They can also look at the supermarket's food.

People living here have different views.

Charlie Steele said, this pub is 'very good', 'exactly what this place needs'.

He said, in the past 3 or 4 years, several pubs here have closed.

He said, there will be new beers here, German beer, Belgian beer.

Everal Thompson, who lives here, said, there is nothing here now.

People have nowhere to go.

She said, she thinks this place needs a new pub.

Someone asked her: the one opening the pub is a big company, not a small local owner, what does she think?

She said, nobody was going to open one anyway, so this is convenient.

However, she also said, she probably won't go to this pub.

Ray Johnston said, this matter is very exciting.

He said, Dundonald already has a pub, so the pub itself is not new.

He said, what is new is: this pub is also a supermarket.

Councillors here also said, this pub can be a new place, people can come here.

They said, the pub can also have new jobs.

It must also treat the people living nearby and the environment here well.

But not everyone is happy.

The University of Stirling studied Northern Ireland's licensing laws.

The University of Stirling's research said, the current 'surrender the license' rule is good for big companies, bad for small shops.

Because big companies have money, they can wait 6 years.

Small shops don't have much money.

This research suggests: don't use the 'surrender the license' rule, use population to set a cap.

That is to say, how many places sell alcohol should depend on how many people live here.

To this day, the Northern Ireland government has not changed this rule.

There is another point: pubs that have already opened cannot oppose new applications.

So, a small pub owner, seeing a new pub open next door, has no way to stop it.

Lidl's manager said, Dundonald's population has grown, and pubs have decreased.

He said, Lidl now has only one pub, and has no plans to open more pubs.

Lidl said, having only one pub makes some people happy, and makes some people disappointed.

The happy people are those who don't want to see every supermarket open a pub.

The disappointed people are those who hope Northern Ireland has more new pubs.

In other parts of the UK, the rules for selling alcohol are also changing.

During the World Cup, pubs can stay open later.

The government also wants to change the rules about noise, so pubs can have more music.

The new national alcohol policy may cancel some notices that must be printed, increase the number of temporary events, change business taxes, and lower the cost of licenses.

These changes have not yet reached Northern Ireland.

Pub owners in Northern Ireland are waiting.

This matter also lets us see a difficult problem.

A rule that is good for big companies and bad for small shops, should it be changed?

If changed, the number of places selling alcohol in Northern Ireland may increase.

But pubs that have already opened may be unhappy.

Do you think, a supermarket opening a pub will make the small pubs next to it better, or worse?