Lidl secures permission to open its first pub in Northern Ireland

German supermarket chain Lidl has been granted permission by the High Court to open its first pub in Northern Ireland.

It comes after a judge dismissed an appeal brought in by Philip Russell Limited, which he described as “a well-established and successful company involved in the wholesale and retail sale of wine, beer, spirits and other alcohol beverages”.

Philip Russell Limited operates several off-licences in Northern Ireland, including in the vicinity of Lidl Dundonald, near Belfast, where the pub will be built.

It claimed the supermarket had failed to prove there was an “inadequate” number of other licenced premises near the site, stating this was “an impermissible attempt to circumvent the 1996 Order”.

Northern Irish licencing laws also prohibit new alcohol sale licences being granted unless another one is surrendered.

But Mr Justice Colton argued “there is no good reason for refusing the application”, concluding: “The restrictive nature of the 1996 Order does not mean that it prevents innovation and development of new ways to run licensed premises.”

While he acknowledged the concept of a licensed premises attached to a supermarket is “undoubtedly a novel development”, he asserted there was, in fact, an “inadequacy” of pubs in the area due to the “significant loss of public house floor space against the background of increasing population and numbers resorting to the vicinity”.

“The fact that this licensed premises might not meet all of the demand for this vicinity is not a reason for refusing the application. It may well be that even if this application is granted and the applicant subsequently trades as an on/off-licence that a further application may be brought by a different party claiming that the provision remains inadequate,” he added.   

Court documents suggested Lidl will be investing “at least £410,000” into the fit-out of the new pub.

There were no “statutory procedural” issues throughout the process, with the PSNI and Lisburn and Castlereagh Borough Council all having confirmed they have “no objection” to the application.  

Lidl entered the Northern Irish supermarket sector in 1999 and has since grown its estate to over 40 sites. It also operates 800 supermarkets across England, Scotland and Wales.

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