Gail’s Bakery Divides Macclesfield Locals Amid Coffee Shop Boom

A new bakery cafe called Gail’s opened in Macclesfield. It offers bread, buns, cakes, quiches, and coffee. Macclesfield, like other UK towns, has struggled with store closures, so the new arrival creates a buzz. Gail’s started in London over 20 years ago and is a popular brand that also faces criticism.

Some people in Macclesfield don’t want another coffee shop. Two shoppers, Linda and Nicola, agreed on this, pointing out that you could easily hit a Caffe Nero and Costa with a bun. Gregg’s is also very close by. A local nurse, Jane, thinks something different would be nice and feels the town doesn’t need more pastries.

Objections to Gail’s are about more than the food as people worry it will raise prices and hurt local cafes. A teacher, Stephanie, welcomes the new bakery, liking having another option in town and planning to try Gail’s, despite the higher prices.

Gail’s often chooses old buildings for its cafes and like corner locations for better visibility. The chain has 170 outlets, mostly in London. They plan to open 40 more locations this year; one opened in Macclesfield on Friday.

More people are choosing coffee shops as a treat and most visit more than once per week, spending over £6 each visit. Chain coffee shops are growing in the UK, now numbering 11,450, up from 9,800. Smaller chains are also appearing in city centers.

Tom Molnar, Gail’s CEO, is puzzled by the negative reactions, emphasizing that Gail’s is a neighborhood bakery that bakes fresh items daily. Gail’s hopes to expand to more areas, including less wealthy ones, using an algorithm to find suitable locations, looking for butchers, bookshops, parks, and schools.

Retail experts say Gail’s locations can cause gentrification, potentially clashing with strong local identities and increasing prices and rents. Some see it as investment, others as homogenization. One local, Karen, wants the town to stay as it is.

A nearby bakery, Flour, Water, Salt, has loyal customers who oppose the arrival of Gail’s and worry about big corporations squeezing out independents. A firefighter calls Gail’s a “posh Gregg’s,” but independents may not be as threatened as some fear.

Local owners can offer a unique touch and respond to specific local needs. Independent coffee shops have increased in number. Flour, Water, Salt is not worried about the competition, thinking it could increase foot traffic and seeing competition as a good thing.