Booze bid by Lidlfollows Poots attack

Mr Poots lambasted the German retail giant at Stormont stating: “Interestingly, I found in a newspaper at the weekend an advertisement by Lidl for 2-litre bottles of strong cider discounted to £1. That is shameful.”

Doctors’ union, the British Medical Association (BMA), this month recommended minimum pricing should be brought in to curb cheap alcohol promotions and that each unit of alcohol should cost at least 50 pence. The promotion Mr Poots referred to worked out at 10 pence per unit.

Lidl is the only major retailer based in Londonderry, which does not sell booze at present.

Other retailers have also been criticised for the practice of offering low cost alcohol deals.

But the Minister said the company was one of a number of firms “participating in the destruction of many people in our community and destroying the lives of people and their families, but they continue to do it.”

Now the Sentinel can reveal that Lidl’s local subsidiary has applied for a licence to sell booze from an off licence at its premises in Buncrana Road.

A further application has been lodged for its premises at Main Street, Limavady.

The applications by Lidl Northern Ireland GmbH will be heard at the Londonderry Recorders Court on May 8.

The move comes as a new report by doctors’ union, the BMA, warns over the harmful effects of cheap booze.

The report by the BMA Board of Science - published this month - said a minimum price for the sale of alcohol should be set at no less than 50p per unit, and this should be kept under review to ensure alcohol does not become more affordable over time.

The Sentinel asked Lidl for a response to Mr Poots’ criticism over cheap booze promos.

But a spokesperson for the supermarket said it was company policy not to comment on this area of the business.

The BMA report states: “Access to cheap alcohol has been found to correlate with more regular and increased total alcohol consumption.

“There is evidence that young people, binge drinkers and harmful drinkers prefer cheaper drinks, and that heavy drinkers and young drinkers are known to be especially responsive to price.

“In the UK, price elasticity - the level of responsiveness to a change in priced - varies between types of alcohol, with the most responsive being cider and beer sold in the off-trade, followed by spirits in the on- and off-trade settings.”