In a move that is guaranteed to get people talking about how much the area has changed, Gail’s has revealed plans to open next to Brixton tube station.
The bougie bakery chain has submitted plans to take over a unit at 439 Brixton Road – formerly home to noodle chain Chopstix – right next to the Underground station. The planning application seeks to make changes to the store, which include removing the existing shopfront and installing new signs.
If you feel strongly about Gail’s arriving in Brixton, a public consultation is running on the plans until Friday, June 19. After that the future of Gail’s Brixton will then be decided by either a planning officer or will be referred to Lambeth Council’s Planning Applications Committee.
Gail’s has often found itself at the heart of London’s gentrification debate when opening in areas that are abundant with independent cafés and restaurants, such as Walthamstow, Stoke Newington and Primrose Hill. However, the bakery’s opponents have not been able to slow down the chain’s astronomic rise in the capital; last year Gail’s was even crowned the best bakery chain in Britain.
Independent café owners in Brixton have already spoken out about being priced out of the area by chains. Metin Balci from Old Roots Café recently told My London: ‘TfL are limiting small businesses that are trying to run in their stations. We’re all being replaced by Gail’s, Pret and Greggs, but there’s no way we can compete with them. If this continues there will be no independent businesses left in stations.’
Towards the end of 2025 Gail’s announced plans to open 40 new stores across the UK. It has recently opened outposts in the capital in Crystal Palace, Hackney and Gatwick Airport.
???? The best bakeries in London.
More on the unstoppable rise of Gail’s: the chain is opening a vast new cafe in the West End.
And did you see that a posh new French bakery is coming to north London this month?
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