Lidl enters pub game in Northern Ireland

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Times are tough for landlords grappling with declining footfall, high energy costs and an end to business rates relief. But this hasn’t deterred Lidl. The discount supermarket chain has started building its first pub, next to one of its stores in Belfast. The venue will seat 60 people and is set to open this summer, serving beers, wines and spirits from Lidl’s in-house range. It is not the only big brand to have ventured into the sector. Sausage roll purveyor Greggs opened a temporary pub last year in a Newcastle shopping centre. Tesco and KFC have also run pop-up boozers. These were publicity stunts, but Lidl is thinking more strategically. It wants to get around Northern Ireland’s strict licensing laws, which restrict the ability of supermarkets to sell alcohol.