Overview
- Lidl has begun work on a standalone 84-square-metre bar beside its Dundonald supermarket that is due to open this summer with about 60 seats.
- The venue is legally classed as a pub, which allows a small attached off-sales area to sell alcohol for takeaway.
- Northern Ireland requires supermarkets to take over a surrendered licence and prove a local shortfall, a test Lidl did not meet for a standard store off-licence.
- Lidl instead obtained a pub licence after two nearby bars had closed, which permits takeaway sales tied to the pub.
- A High Court judge dismissed rivals’ challenge in January 2025, and Lidl says the bar will serve a selected range with a focus on local suppliers, though reports suggest the approach is hard to replicate elsewhere.