Would you need a Gail’s bakery the place you reside?

Not many things split the Great British public opinion more than their views on high street coffee chains.

For many, grabbing a Costa, Starbucks or Pret is as fundamental a part of their morning routine as it is brushing their teeth. Others are appalled by the sight of these stores and symbolize them as everything that is wrong with the modern world.

But now there is a new player that has been rising through the ranks and entering the national coffee game, driving even more divide between residents in towns and villages up and down the country.

Gail’s Bakery started as a single store in Hampstead, north-west London, and slowly began to spread across the capital before cherry picking new towns and cities to set up in.

The chain now has more than 130 shops across Britain already and is seen by many as the successor to Waitrose, with plans now in place for new sites to be opened across Britain.

But their rise to prominence has not been welcomed with open arms, as some look to fight the gentrification of their town.

This week, it was reported that hundreds of residents in Walthamstow had signed a petition to stop the company opening on their high street amid fears it could run independent cafes out of business.

To find out more about what it is like to live in a town where a Gail’s Bakery already exists, MailOnline went to speak to residents in Petersfield (Hampshire), Greenwich (south London) and Witney (Oxfordshire) to find out their views on the coffee chain and its impact on the local economy.

Petersfield  

People in Petersfield complained the affluent area is becoming ‘Londonised’ after Gail’s opened a store there.

Shoppers on the high street in the leafy Hampshire market town said they feel ‘sorry’ for local bakeries in the town after the arrival of upmarket chain Gail’s.

However, others are delighted to have a Gail’s on their doorstep as they see it as a sign that the area is ‘well off’.

Houses in Petersfield, which sits in the South Downs countryside, cost an average of half a million pounds.

The area has been called home to celebrities including Noel Gallagher and Take That’s Mark Owen, while it is also noted for the £30,000 a year Bedales School, where Daniel Day-Lewis and Lily Allen studied.

Today, it enjoys a constant flow of customers visiting the café – although some people grumble at its prices, including £5 orange juice.

Sarah Duveen, from London, regularly visits Petersfield to escape the capital and see her in-laws – but doesn’t feel like she has escaped.

The self-employed 30 year old said it has become a running joke that Gail’s is synonymous with ‘posh’ areas.

‘It’s always the posh bits of London’, she said. ‘I think people take the p sometimes – if there’s a Gail’s in the area, that’s a good one.’

Ms Duveen added: ‘Petersfield is becoming more Londonised by having one.

‘I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing, I think it makes house prices go up. I was pretty surprised when I found out it was here. It almost feels like it sticks out. I see this place as a local countryside safe place away from London – I can’t escape.

‘It is really quite expensive – I would pay for it, but I would probably feel a bit sick that I spent £10 on coffee and cake.’

Communications worker Sammi Healey, from Petersfield, sipped on a Gail’s coffee and told how she is a fan of the chain but sympathises with local establishments.

She said: ‘I love it… There’s part of me that always feels sorry for the Hoxton’s [a local bakery].’

When asked whether a Gail’s was a sign of gentrification, the 40-year-old said: ‘I haven’t really though of it like that. 

‘The town needs a bit more of this – it’s definitely feeling run down of late.’

Ms Healey’s usual order is coffee and a ham and cheese croissant when she visits Gail’s.

Her daughter has inherited her love for the bakery. She said: ‘My daughter starts school in September – she said can I get my hair cut, my nails painted and can we go to Gail’s?’

Andrew Madgwick, a market researcher, is glad that Gail’s has a branch in Petersfield since it means an old building on the high street isn’t being left empty.

‘They are always in nice buildings and they picked a very nice one in Petersfield,’ Mr Madgwick said.

‘It seems very appropriate. The worst thing for high streets I think is premises being left empty, especially ex-banks. They don’t always fit every type of business – a cafe goes very nicely.’

On whether Gail’s improves the high street, the 63-year-old said: ‘I don’t think it actually improves Petersfield in that way.

‘It’s already pretty gentrified – [the buildings] have nice shops in them and nice cafes already. It’s just a chain now really.’

Project manager Katie Kempster thinks that Gail’s does improve the high street, but it can be unaffordable for families.

‘I don’t go there, it’s not a child friendly environment,’ she said.

On the rare occasion she does go, she said the prices can be shocking: ‘For lots of families it’s not particularly affordable. Orange juice on its own was £5 – I don’t care how freshly squeezed it is, it does not have to be £5.

‘Some people can afford it, some can’t – you can’t please everyone.’

The 38-year-old admired the fact that Gail’s donates food to the local community rather than letting it go to waste.

‘It’s a lovely establishment, a good use of the building,’ she said. ‘It’s not out of place here.’

Greenwich  

Residents in Greenwich said they ‘understood’ why people were resistant to a Gail’s Bakery opening in their area.

Despite plans to open another to shops in London and having more than 130 openings, managers at Gail’s do not consider themselves a chain.

But Joslin, 23, said she chose to avoid Gail’s shops as she preferred the ‘personal experience’ with independent coffee shops. 

She said: ‘I think it’s ok. I personally don’t go to them that often. It’s not hugely convenient. Personally I would choose independent coffee shops over Gails, Starbucks and places like that.

‘For me those [independent places] are more convenient. I like to support a more personal experience with independent places, I know the people that work there and stuff like that rather than employees from larger corporations.’

The arrival of a Gail’s in a town is a boost for property prices and a sure indicator that the area is on the up and up.

But for some locals, including those in Greenwich, the introduction of the brand threatens their individuality.

When asked if she felt a Gail’s made Greenwich more gentrified, Joslin said: ‘Yeh I would definitely say so. It’s always the first thing to pop up.

‘I can absolutely understand why people would be angry. It takes away from more small independent coffee shops that have been selling stuff that Gails sells and it takes away from that business.’

Maisy Cole, 24, also preferred to support local coffee shops and businesses, claiming these places were ‘a lot more friendly’.

She said: ‘I completely understand [why people don’t want them in their town]. I think it is a shame. Especially when you have got some beautiful coffee shops where they spend a lot of time sourcing the coffee and getting local produce. Big cooperation’s coming in attracting new customers. It pushes the local coffee shops out and I can see why local residents are not happy about that.

‘I would definitely support local. I think the coffee is always a lot better when you go to a local coffee shop and the service you get is a lot more personable. It’s a lot more friendly and you feel a bit better about yourself going into a local shop and supporting local business.’

Witney 

Locals in the small Oxfordshire town of Whitney felt the high street needed a Gail’s Bakery, even if the prices were ‘ridiculous.’

Gail’s first foray outside of London was in Oxford in 2016 when the bakery opened a store in nearby Summertown.

It followed this up with a bakery in Jericho as well as opening a store in Witney.

Many residents were pleased to see another coffee shop open in the area, claiming they couldn’t get into any other outlets most of the time because they were too busy.

Linda Kennedy, 71, retired teacher, said: ‘I had never heard of it until yesterday and it’s just another café. We have just been in it and it seems like any other café. it wouldn’t do any harm if it was a sign of gentrification.

‘It’s absolutely not [a sign of gentrification]. There are lots of cafes anyway and people are in their enjoying having a coffee. I bought a flat white and cake and it was very pleasant. The other cafes were full which is why we ended up in there.’

Vanni Cook, a teacher of language related studies was visiting the town from Devon and felt having a Gail’s Bakery in the town was a ‘really positive thing’.

The 75-year-old said: ‘I’m completely indifferent. It fills a gap in the High Street and I think that is a really positive thing.

‘I think it is a cake and coffee. Cakes are tasty and that’s all their is. It’s just another cafe.

‘I think all cafes are really important because they are social centres. So therefore it is good. I went there today and had a coffee and a cake. The coffee was really good and the cake was tasty. I couldn’t get into any of the other cafes because they were all full. So I think that says something about Witney.’

Whilst many were pleased with the service Gail’s provided, retired farm worker Peter Kew claimed he wouldn’t visit the shop again because it was ‘too expensive’ for working class people.

The 76-year-old said: ‘It’s a nice place. Clean. Respectable. But it’s very pricey. I’ve been in there a couple of times. My sister is a 90-year-old lady from Charlton and I’ve took her in and we got four cakes and it was nearly £14. Ridiculous for working class people and Witney is working class people.

‘I wouldn’t go into Gails again because it is too expensive. Unless I really need a cup of coffee. But I don’t think there is any need to pay that sort of money. It’s not just them though. I think a lot of shops are [too expensive].’