Gail's (styled "GAIL's") is a British bakery and coffee shop chain headquartered in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, England.

History

The bakery opened its first shop on

Hampstead High Street Hampstead High Street is located in the London Borough of Camden. It is the main high street for Hampstead Village and is part of the A502 road (Great Britain), A502. Heading southeastwards from a junction with Heath Street, Hampstead, Heath Stre ...

in 2005 and its 100th in

East Sheen East Sheen, also known as Sheen, is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its long High Street, high street has shops, offices, restaurants, cafés, pubs and suburban supermarkets and is also the economic ...

in 2022. In 2021, all Gail's branches were within a radius of its central bakery and kitchen in

Hendon Hendon is an urban area in the London Borough of Barnet, northwest London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient Manorialism, manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has ...

. It subsequently expanded to

Altrincham Altrincham ( , locally ) is a market town in Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, south of the River Mersey. It is southwest of Manchester, southwest of Sale, Greater Manchester, Sale and east of Warrington. At the 2021 United Kingdom ce ...

Chester Chester is a cathedral city in Cheshire, England, on the River Dee, Wales, River Dee, close to the England–Wales border. With a built-up area population of 92,760 in 2021, it is the most populous settlement in the borough of Cheshire West an ...

Didsbury Didsbury is a suburb of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the Historic counties of ...

Knutsford Knutsford () is a market town and civil parish in the Cheshire East district, in Cheshire, England; it is located south-west of Manchester, north-west of Macclesfield and south-east of Warrington. The population of the parish at the 2021 Uni ...

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

, and

Wilmslow Wilmslow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the borough of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It is south of Manchester. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the parish had a population of 26,213 and the built up area had a p ...

. In 2021,

Bain Capital Bain Capital, LP is an American Investment company, private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts, with around $185 billion of assets under management. It specializes in private equity, venture capital, credit, p ...

, an American private investment firm based in Boston, Massachusetts, acquired a majority stake in Gail's from

Risk Capital Partners Risk Capital Partners LLP is a London-based private equity firm, co-founded in 2001 by Ben Redmond and Luke Johnson. The firm invests in numerous sectors, including leisure, retail, media, healthcare, IT services, financial services and support ...

, valuing Gail's at £200 million, with Luke Johnson retaining a 15% stake. In March 2025, it was reported that there were 170 outlets, with a further 40 planned to open that year.

Initiatives

Gail's has launched various initiatives to reduce

food waste The causes of food going uneaten are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during food production, production, food processing, processing, Food distribution, distribution, Grocery store, retail and food service sales, and Social clas ...

, such as selling a

sourdough Sourdough is a type of bread that uses the fermentation by naturally occurring yeast and lactobacillus bacteria to raise the dough. In addition to leavening the bread, the fermentation process produces lactic acid, which gives the bread its dis ...

loaf made partially from leftover bread. It partnered with

Neighbourly Neighbourly is a neighbourhood-based social networking website operating in New Zealand. History Origins The website was founded by Casey Eden. It was trialled in two Auckland suburbs, St Heliers and Kohimarama, in December 2013, then launched ...

to distribute surplus food in 2023.

Controversies

Twice-baked pastries

In August 2024, some customers criticised Gail's for selling their leftover "twice-baked" chocolate and almond croissants and indeed their almond croissants for £1 more than their fresh counterparts. The day-old pastries are "soaked in demerara syrup and topped with

heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Offi ...

homemade

frangipane Frangipane ( ) is a sweet almond-flavoured custard, typical in French pastry, used in a variety of ways, including cakes and such pastries as the Bakewell tart, conversation tart, Jésuite and pithivier. A French spelling from a 1674 coo ...

spread, alongside crunchy almonds." Gail's market their twice-baked pastries as part of their "Waste Not" range, with the objective being to combat food waste. Another customer stated that it is "standard" for how almond croissants are made.

Prospective bakery opening

In August 2024, residents of

Walthamstow Village Walthamstow Village is the oldest part of Walthamstow, east London. It was designated a Conservation Area by the London Borough of Waltham Forest in 1967, and another Conservation Area on nearby Orford Road was subsequently added. The area cent ...

petitioned to "prevent Gail’s from establishing a store on tshigh street." The village is known for its antiques shop, its tapas deli, and its independent cafés. The petition originator said the brand brought "a risk of overshadowing our much-loved local stores" and that the residents should "together safeguard the soul of our beloved neighbourhood."

In politics

"Does it have a Gail's?" became a political

bellwether A bellwether is a leader or an indicator of trends.bellwether
" ''Cambridge Dictionary''. Re ...

for the Liberal Democrats in the lead up to the 2024 general election. The political party received their best-ever general election result by "ruthlessly targeting"

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

constituencies. One metric was the "Does it have a Gail's?" question.

Awards

In 2024, Gail's won the Best Coffee Shop/Café Group award at the MCA Hospitality Awards.

References

External links

*{{Official, https://gails.com/ British bakers Coffeehouses and cafés in the United Kingdom