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It’s been voted the best bakery chain in Britain, but its expansion continues to divide locals who favour independent coffee shops. Love or loathe a bougie Gail's Bakery, another branch is due to open in south London – and some residents are not happy.
The upmarket cafe, which is known for its £5 sourdough loaves and cinnamon buns, will open next month in the former Coopers pub in Westow Hill, Crystal Palace. Gail's currently has over 100 bakeries in London.
Independent businesses fear their trade will diminish once the café moves into the big site. The owner of Brown & Green café in Church Road Laura Tilli said in an Instagram post that small indie coffee shops in the Crystal Palace Triangle are ‘trembling’ with fear.
In the viral post, it said: ‘I think we’d all be lying if we said we weren’t worried about this giant moving in.
‘Our café in the triangle doesn’t make a profit. Yes, we are busy on weekends but this doesn’t cover our weekday losses. It’s tough out there and we are all fighting to stay afloat. Our friends and neighbours and all the small cafes on the triangle are trembling.’
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Tilli told the Standard she was worried Gail’s will ‘blow everybody out of the water’. She said: ‘The main concern with Gail’s coming in is that they’re going to be operating out of a huge site – it used to be a big pub.
‘We are worried it’s going to blow everybody out of the water.’
This isn’t the first time Gail's has faced pushback from local residents. Residents in Walthamstow Village launched a vociferous campaign against the chain in 2024, fearing their beloved independents were at stake, while similar resistance was faced in Primrose Hill and in Stoke Newington. The chain’s rapid expansion saw it take over famous pub the Hackney Tap on Mare Street in June.
A Gail’s spokesperson told the Standard: ‘In each neighbourhood we open in, we’re one of many businesses and only a small part of the retail picture. A healthy high-street is a diverse one where people in the community have choice.
‘We wholeheartedly support independents, demonstrated through the suppliers we choose to work with.
‘With every bakery we open, we take over unused shopfronts giving them a new lease of life, create new jobs, and partner with local charities sharing any bakes left at the end of the day; all of which make good food more accessible to more people.’
Check out our guide of the best things to do and see in Crystal Palace.
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