‘We don’t need a Gail’s’ | Global News Avenue

Macclesfield’s Market Square has a cheerful red awning and newly painted cream wooden storefront.

A new bakery cafe has just opened and offers ciabatta and sour bread as well as hot crosses, syrup cakes, vegetable quiches and of course coffee.

Like towns all over the UK, Macclesfield is closed with retailers, leaving empty stores struggling, so the new arrival buzz.

But Gail’s is a brand that started in London 20 years ago, which is controversial. It attracted crowds and inspired social media memes, but it also caused intense criticism.

A recent series of state media reports even asked why some people are so “hate” Gail so important, focusing on the job from who owns everything to unsold pastries.

Its arrival is also not universally popular.

“We don’t need another coffee shop,” said Linda Willdig, who shopped with her friend Nicola Tomlinson, who agreed. “There are too many,” Nicholas said.

In fact, on the table outside the Gail, you can easily throw a cinnamon bread and hit the coffee pie Nero and Costa. Gregg is around the corner, too.

So different things might be better, said Jane Kent, a community nurse.

“People are going to give up in all bakeries,” she said. “We don’t need more pastries.”

However, at the core, Gale’s objection is not about its sale, but rather that it does not really belong, which will push up prices and eliminate independent cafes.

But Stephanie Lamb, a teacher on maternity leave, is more popular.

“I don’t know Gael’s, so it’s not necessarily a chain for me,” she said. “I’m glad I have something extra in town.”

She loves lattes and croissants and can read for an hour somewhere.

At Gail’s price, her price will result in her refund of £6.50. Yes, she said it was expensive, but she still planned to “give it a spin.”

Gail’s name hints at a traditional single-family, cafe-favoring attractive old buildings that usually take off with bank branches closing, especially when it’s a corner location, meaning it’s more visible to passersby.

It has 170 outlets that gather mainly in London and the southeast. But this year, it plans to open another 40, including Ely in Cambridgeshire later this month, Bath in April and Buxton in Derbyshire in May.

At the opening Friday in McLesfield, the new place on the square has attracted interest.

Even after the cost of living crisis, we increasingly choose coffee as a treat. According to the World Coffee Portal, nearly two-thirds say they go to a coffee shop multiple times a week, spending an average of more than £6 per visit.

Therefore, coffee shops cater to the tough economic climate better than most businesses. There are now 11,450 brand chains in the UK, up from 9,800 five years ago.

Professional chains such as Black Sheep Coffee, Coffee #1 and Blank Street are rising in the city center, while giants like Costa and Starbucks are opening drives and exits in retail parks.

Caffe Nero has purchased several smaller chains in different parts of the country and retained its independent brand so it can make the most of its local loyalty.

The passionate coffee is so intense, it’s the mystery of why Gale CEO Tom Molnar is against his chain. He felt misunderstood.

Mr Molnar, a co-owner of private equity backing, has been expanding the brand since joining in 2003, but said it was more than just coffee. Its role as a neighbourhood bakery – baking in in-store and regional bakeries every day – is key.

He hopes to roll Gail to more communities, including less affluent ones.

“It shouldn’t be luxurious,” he insisted.

But for the moment, they choose where to open very carefully, using algorithms to help select the most promising zip code.

It promotes whether there are local butchers, bookstores, parks, schools, churches or farmers’ markets.

“I prefer a place that is growing and growing rather than a place that is too established,” he said.

If you enter the algorithmic house on a specific high street, it will be trust in the town’s future.

But retail experts warn that the nature of the place Gail chooses means that gentrification could be accused of increasing prices and rents for existing businesses and residents.

“Gail’s is entering an area with a strong local identity. When that happens, there is always a reaction.” Insight founder Kate Hardcastle is passionate.

“It’s not only the bakery opening, but I think it’s about what it represents.

“Some people will see it as a sign of investment and revitalization, while others fear it’s another step-by-step process of the same carbon copy as each other,” she said.

In flour, water, salt – a direct competitor with Gail’s sale of bread, bagels, coffee bread and sausage rolls – this is just the yard of the new store, with some loyal customers firmly opposing new immigrants.

“Gail is not popular here,” said Karen Pearson. She and her friends are worried that Gail’s arrival means the town is “up” when they actually prefer to “keep like it.”

They are not keen on big corporations entering the town, fearing they might squeeze out independents.

But firefighter and local councillor Anthony Harrison believes Gail’s doesn’t match places like flour, water, salt, etc. “It’s just a luxurious Greg,” he said.

Graham Soult, a retail consultant from northern England, said independents may not be as threatened as people fear.

He said local owners can offer a more personal style to meet local tastes and needs, although the chain is difficult to deviate from a given recipe.

“I think a lot of independents are really good at browsing everything that they throw at them,” he said.

Despite the tough times, the number of independent coffee shops has increased from 11,700 to 12,400 now over the past five years.

Toby Johnstone, the manager of flour, water, and salt, was not worried. This may mean more steps, and more people are also trying his store.

“We are glad there are other things to open up and keep downtown moving forward,” he said. “It’s a good thing to have competition.”