Following fanfare receptions in Altrincham and the city centre, Gail’s bakery opens in Didsbury Village this morning (June 24).
The chain, which also offers a sit-in dining experience, is taking over a former HSBC branch on Wilmslow Road. It’s a fitting location for the high-end cafe.
Gail’s also fits in well with Didsbury’s clientele — if the house prices and sports cars are anything to go by — but it faces some stiff competition. Already, the village is home to a plethora of independent cafes, plus the usual high street favourites.
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And despite having new neighbours in the form of the London-based Gail’s, which already has scores of shops, existing traders are bullish about their new competition. The Manchester Evening News spoke to several small firms around Wilmslow Road to see what they think of the latest arrival.
“A bit of healthy competition never did anyone any harm,” smiled Jim Kelly, the assistant manager at Caramello’s, just a few metres from the new store. “I think we will be okay… with our menu — that’s fully halal — [because] that’s our main customer base.”
Despite his confidence in the meals on show, the 28-year-old recognises some changes might have to be made. He went on: “ It remains to be seen how the pastries, which we make, will do. People will have to walk past Gail’s to come here. We might have to stop doing those.
“I like to think we have a loyal enough customer base. I think they will try it but they will then come back.”
Further down the road is La Chouquette, Didsbury’s answer to a French boulangerie. Over the last three years, owners and professional bakers Mairead Deignan and Florent Verove Francois David, have enticed punters in with a sweet smell of bread.
“I’m not really worried. We have a loyal customer base, but it will hurt at the beginning, but then it will be okay, said manager Francois David, who is originally from Montpellier.
“Some people will be drawn to it with the new opening effect, but in the long run, I don’t think it will impact us too much.”
And there was a similar mood from Keith Appleby, who owns and runs Appleby’s Hearty Refreshment, on Barlow Moor Road. He told the Evening News: “When I moved in here, 11 years ago, there was a little blogger who looked at all the new cafes, shops, and restaurants on the high street, and told me that on the basis of how I looked – low-cost – I would last less than six months, and the others would last a lot longer than me.
“They have all since gone bust or changed ownership. I have been focused on excellent quality, simple, food at good value.
“That seems to keep me in business,” the 70-year-old continued. “On that basis of being here for 11 years, it means I have a regular clientele, and I do not see anything changing that.”
It appears that, despite a cost-of-living crisis and new competition in town, Didsbury’s indie cafes are confident they will be here for the next arrival.
Gail’s opens on June 24 and will trade from 7am-6pm Sunday to Friday, and until 7pm on Saturdays.
