If you’ve walked by a Gail’s lately and thought that the bakery chain has been spawning new locations faster than you can say ‘sourdough’, you’re not wrong. The posh chain has been on a spree of openings, having launched 36 new bakeries across the UK in the last year or so, including its first in the southwest of England. And it’s showing no signs of slowing down – Gail’s has revealed it plans to open 40 more UK branches in the next few months.
We don’t know where the new Gail’s cafés will be yet, but they’re slated to be open for business by February 2026 (ie. the end of this financial year). The expansion is thanks to a huge boost in sales for the bakery chain. Apparently, sales soared by roughly 20 percent between February 2024 and February 2025.
The very first Gail’s bakery opened in Hampstead in 2005. Twenty years later, it has more than 100 spots across London – this expansion would bring its total number of UK outposts to 225. To add to its ongoing successes, last month the brand was named Britain’s best bakery chain (beating finalists Bird Bakery, Lidl and M&S) for its use of ‘diverse grains’, British farming and its ‘knowledgeable and enthusiastic’ staff members.
A Gail’s spokesperson said: ‘We are pleased to have delivered strong year-on-year growth. This performance is underpinned by the increasing demand for high-quality, nutrient dense food, and by the support of the communities we serve. We will continue to build on this momentum by growing with purpose and remaining committed to improving access to good food.’
Not everyone will be pleased to be getting a new Gail’s in their area. Right now, local businesses in Crystal Palace are worried that the chain’s arrival to their neighbourhood next month will ‘blow everybody out of the water’, while last year Walthamstow residents started a petition against a new branch of the bakery and locals in Primrose Hill campaigned to keep it out.
Did you see that Eggslut is opening its first ever UK location outside London?
Plus: The world’s best pizza chain has been crowned for 2025 – and it has three UK locations.
Stay in the loop: sign up to our free Time Out UK newsletter for the latest UK news and the best stuff happening across the country.