When you enter The Middle Ale, the walls are painted in bright primary colours and the shelves are stacked with produce. It may look like a regular pub, but the reality is far from that. This public house is a 'world first' for the supermarket chain Lidl – and beneath its gimmicky shine lies a stark statement about Northern Ireland's licensing laws.
The journey from inception to opening day was a long one, involving courts, hurdles, and a creative solution to an old problem. In Northern Ireland, supermarkets must overcome two hurdles before they can start selling alcohol. First, they must buy a licence that has been 'surrendered' by another business, such as a pub that is closing. This 'surrender principle' acts as a strict cap on the number of premises that can sell alcohol. Secondly, the supermarket must pass the 'inadequacy' test, proving that the number of existing licensed premises in an area is inadequate to meet public needs.
“Lidl opens its first ever pub, The Middle Ale, in Northern Ireland to bypass strict licensing laws.”
Lidl could not pass the inadequacy test for a standard off-licence – but it was able to pass the test for a pub, because two bars close to the supermarket have closed in recent years. Named The Middle Ale in a play on the chain's famous middle aisle, the company is adamant this is not a stunt. "The challenges surrounding the liquor licensing laws in Northern Ireland, they're well known and long documented," said Gordon Cruikshanks, regional managing director for Lidl Northern Ireland, adding that it's been 'a long wait'. When asked if the licensing laws should be updated, he said it was 'for others to continue to discuss'.
The company spent £500,000 creating the pub and adjoining off-licence, hiring eight additional staff members. "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 in Dundonald with our full range of products so they can do a full shop with us," Cruikshanks continued. "This is certainly a unique scenario for us, but we don't have any plans currently to open any more pubs."
Customer Charlie Steele told BBC News NI that the pub is 'absolutely fantastic' and 'just what the area needs'. "We've lost a couple of pubs in the last three or four years and I think it's the first one in Europe… we're really looking forward to it," he said. He said it doesn't bother him that a multinational company is behind it rather than a local independent business owner. "It will bring new beers, German beers, Belgian beers, and stuff like that…"
BBC News NI was given exclusive access to the site ahead of opening day. For now, Lidl's experiment in pub ownership remains a one-off – a unique workaround to a licensing system that the company itself says is 'well known' to be challenging.