On the surface, The Middle Ale looks like any other pub in Dundonald, County Down – but the shelves stacked with produce and the bright primary colours give away a deeper purpose. This public house is a 'world first' for the supermarket chain Lidl, and its existence is a stark statement about Northern Ireland’s licensing laws.
The journey from inception to opening day was long, involving courts and hurdles, but the company insists it is no gimmick. In Northern Ireland, any supermarket wanting to sell alcohol must first buy a licence 'surrendered' by another business – such as a closing pub – and then pass the 'inadequacy' test, proving there are not enough licensed premises in the area to meet public demand. Lidl could not pass that test for a standard off-licence, but when two nearby bars closed, it qualified for a pub licence.
“Lidl opens its first pub, The Middle Ale, in Northern Ireland after navigating strict licensing laws.”
‘It’s been a long wait,’ said Gordon Cruikshanks, regional managing director for Lidl Northern Ireland. ‘The challenges surrounding the liquor licensing laws here are well known and long documented.’ When asked whether the laws should be updated, he said it was ‘for others to continue to discuss’.
The company spent £500,000 creating The Middle Ale – a name that plays on its famous middle aisle – and hired eight additional staff. Cruikshanks explained: ‘In the Dundonald area, there’s been a significant increase in the population, and whenever we saw the opportunity to open a pub, we thought that was the best option to be able to provide the community with our full range of products.’ But he added: ‘This is certainly a unique scenario for us, but we don’t have any plans currently to open any more pubs.’
Local resident Charlie Steele, who visited the pub, described it as ‘absolutely fantastic’ and ‘just what the area needs’. He noted that ‘we’ve lost a couple of pubs in the last three or four years’ and said it didn’t bother him that a multinational company was behind it rather than an independent owner. ‘It will bring new beers, German beers, Belgian beers, and stuff like that,’ he added.
BBC News NI was given exclusive access to the site before opening day. Whether The Middle Ale becomes a blueprint for other regions with restrictive licensing laws remains to be seen – but for now, Lidl’s answer to Northern Ireland’s old problem is raising a glass.