sold from specialized bottle shops. United Kingdom and Ireland In the United Kingdom and Ireland the corresponding term is off-licence, which refers to the fact that alcohol may be bought on the licensed premises, but must be consumed off the premises. Almost all supermarkets and groceries, and many petrol stations, have an off-licence. In the United Kingdom, the "off-licence" status of a shop could once be used as a device to circumvent restrictive trading laws, particularly those concerning Sunday trading. Depending on local by-laws, shops might be either required to close at noon once a week, or else not be allowed to trade in the evening. Shops with an off-licence made their hours similar to those of public houses, opening during lunch hours and from early evening to the mandatory closing time, usually 22:30 or 23:00. The Sunday Trading Act 1994 exempted liquor store (and any shops that sells alcohol) from its effects. The mandatory closing time for any licensed liquor stores are regulated by Licensing Act 2003 instead. During the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, all pubs closed during the lockdown from 20 March 2020. However, on 25 March, off-licences were added to the list of essential businesses allowed to stay open, also enabling pubs and brewery taprooms with licences to sell beer for home consumption to offer takeaway sales and home deliveries. In the Republic of Ireland, there are five kinds of off-licence: Wine Retailer’s Off Licence Beer Retailer’s Off Licence Spirit Retailer’s Off Licence Cider Retailer’s Off Licence (not required if Beer Retailer's Off Licence held) Sweets Retailer’s Off Licence (not required if Wine Retailer's Off Licence held); "sweets" includes products like mead, metheglin and made-wine. Each licence costs €500 a year and allows shops to only sell certain kinds of alcohol; for example, some newsagents only sell wine, while souvenir shops may only sell "sweets." Nordic countries Denmark – Alcoholic beverages can be bought at any grocery store or kiosk. There are several dedicated stores specialising in certain types of alcohol, typically wine or beer. Faroe Islands – Alcoholic beverages above 1.8% ABV can be bought in Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins, also known as Rúsan Finland – Grocery stores and kiosks may sell beer and other mildly alcoholic beverages (no higher than 5.5% alcohol by volume) during designated hours (9am to 9pm). All other alcohol must be purchased from Alko stores. Iceland – Can only be bought