Residents of Primrose Hill have blasted the decision to allow a Gail’s Bakery to open in the area, claiming it will ‘steamroller’ independent businesses.
In a community known for housing celebrities and being hostile towards major franchises, the coffee chain plans to take over a premises on the leafy green Gloucester Avenue.
Taking over from an independent delicatessen, which was forced to close due to entering liquidation, the company will now have three outlets within a 10-minute walk from each other – the other two being in Camden Market and Parkway.
Whilst some locals hope the new store would bring more customers to the area, community campaigner Phil Cowan claimed it ‘represent[ed] yet another rung on the ladder towards identikit retail environments’.
It is not the first time Gail’s – which boasts more than 130 stores across the UK – has faced opposition within the capital. Last month, Walthamstow locals claimed the chain’s new branch in their East London enclave was the ‘ultimate sign of gentrification’.
Mr Cowan told the Camden New Journal: ‘The proposed store will represent yet another rung on the ladder towards identikit retail environments, which is both sad and ironic considering that people so enthusiastically celebrate Primrose Hill just as it is – a proudly independent village.’
In 2022, Camden Council received more than 1,300 letters of objection to Starbuck’s proposed plans to open a new café in the neighbourhood.
Residents such as Jude Law and Neneh Cherry joined in the backlash which eventually saw the American chain back out.
But Gail’s will look to press on with their Primrose Hill plans, having first opened in 2005 in Hampstead, North London.
Ever since then, the company has slowly began to spread across the capital before cherry picking new towns and cities to set up in including Wilmslow in Cheshire and Epsom in Surrey.
Gail’s chief executive Tom Molnar previously told the Mail that it was a huge compliment that people ask him for a Gail’s in their locality.
Despite plans to open other shops in London and having more than 130 openings, managers at Gail’s do not consider themselves a chain.
In an interview with trade publication British Baker, Marta Pogroszewska said she believed ‘scale’ was an uncomfortable term and the company will always focus on being a ‘neighbourhood bakery’ rather than a chain.
The arrival of a Gail’s in a town is a boost for property prices and a sure indicator that that the area is on the up and up.
But for some locals, the introduction of the brand threatens their individuality.
Last month, furious residents in Walthamstow started a petition to oppose the coffee chain opening a shop in the East London enclave, calling for the protection of their community’s unique identity.
Despite receiving more than 1,8000 signatures, the cafe’s opening went ahead anyway.
Outside of London, Worthing locals also attempted to stop the opening of the chain in their seaside West Sussex town in August, but were also unsuccessful.
The Worthing Society, which aims to ‘preserve’ and ‘safeguard’ the town’s heritage, expressed concerns the bakery’s aesthetic might not harmonise with the historic street on which it is set to open.
Tushar Patel, who owns Café Traditionale on Chapel Road, told The Telegraph: ‘Allowing more cafes to open will have a knock-on effect on existing businesses.
‘Existing businesses are struggling as it is. Somebody will have to close their doors very soon here. It is frustrating. The council should look after the existing businesses by not allowing new cafes to open.’
