Locals and business owners on a street well known for independent businesses are worried their unique street may be ‘ruined’ and ‘turned into Oxford Street’ following the announcement that a Gail’s Bakery is set to open.
Church Street in Stoke Newington has more than 80 independent businesses operating as cafes, bakeries or shops.
However in recent years the street which hosts one of the last remaining Banksy artworks in London, has seen larger chains such as Nando’s and Pret-A-Manger open their doors. Trendy US supermarket giant Whole Foods also has a store on the high street.
Gail’s has been at the centre of a gentrification row as the upmarket bakery continues to expand to towns and suburbs across the country.
Hundreds of residents in Walthamstow, north-east London, signed a petition to stop the company opening on their High Street amid fears it could run independent cafes out of business.
Now locals on Church Street are concerned that Gail’s may ruin their unique area of London.
Local couple Jay Karim and Malin Sonesson said they will not visit the new bakery when it opens.
Jay said: I’m not too happy, there are bakeries that have been here for 20 years.
‘It is very much the peak of gentrification when a Gail’s opens.
‘It does de-value the street a little bit but the people who come here regularly will stay local, they know their places.
‘I’ve got nothing against Gail’s but this is the wrong place.
Malin added: ‘I think it is terrible. It ruins the street.
‘I think part of the soul of the street is going. Church Street is all about independent, bespoke little shops and boutiques.
‘Gail’s and Pret-A-Manger are just another coffee shop, it is all the same.’
Sisters Nora and Salma Elkassah said they preferred to visit independent businesses and were not happy about a chain opening on Church Street.
Nora said: ‘I don’t think it will affect local businesses that are already here, because people here are very loyal to their favourite places.
‘But it may be hard for any new smaller businesses that open.
‘Gail’s is everywhere, we have so many of them we don’t need one on every single street.
‘It is good to try new things, I think that brings the community together.’
Salma added: ‘We don’t really go to chains, we usually go to smaller places if we can.’
The news of the bakery opening has also caused some worry among owners of the many independent coffee shops in the area.
Muhammad Pilten, owner of Ribbons and Taylor said: ‘This area is a unique area, we are not happy.
‘If chain companies are going to come to this area, it is going to look like Oxford Street.
‘We need to be different to other areas.’
Taner and Caner Kose have been running Sapid Coffee on Church Street for three years.
They raised concerns about how Gail’s may affect their ability to be competitive.
Taner said: ‘It is intimidating because we’re all independent business here and then you’ve got this chain coming in that probably doesn’t care about costs, because it has so many locations.
‘Even if they slash the price of coffee to half price for two months, they wouldn’t care. If they make one loss here, they’re going to make gains somewhere else.
‘It is like putting a monopoly in the middle of all these little businesses. I’m not really happy about it.’
Carolina Fernandez, staff member at The Good Egg said: ‘We are like a very tight, close-nit community of small businesses. We even have your typical WhatsApp group chat where we ask small businesses to speak to each other and we help each other.
‘A big business like Gail’s will disrupt the whole neighbourhood vibe we have fought hard to maintain.
‘It’s quite scary as a small business to have such a big one across the street.
‘It will bring more people through Church Street but we just want to keep that neighbourhood vibe.’
Not all business owners were concerned about the introduction of the new competitor.
Mpaka has been a baker at Perky Blenders for five years and Gail’s is set to open just two doors down.
‘I am happy and ready for the competition, it is good,’ he said.
‘I’m not worried about it, it is better if the street is busier.’
In 2017, the Stoke Newington Whole Foods was at the centre of a row when it put up a sign asking customers not to donate to local homeless people.
Gail’s first opened in 2005 in Hampstead, North London, and 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 another to 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.
Or as Dominic Agace, chief executive of Winkworth estate agents, said: ‘Gail’s marks an area as a prime property market.’
However for locals like Christine Lovey, it is ‘just another High Street bakery’.
‘It is terrible because the restaurant which was here before was so good.
‘Gail’s is just another High Street bakery. It is nice, but we already have a bakery.
‘I’m sure everyone who loves Church Street will say the same thing, it is like the street loses its independence.
‘I don’t think it adds anything. I would have no reason to come here at all.’
Gail’s were contacted for comment.