At a glance
• Independent cafés in Crystal Palace, led by Brown & Green, are protesting at plans for a new Gail’s bakery, fearing the chain’s arrival will threaten their survival and dominate local trade.
• A viral Instagram post from Brown & Green highlighted the financial struggles of small cafés, urging customers to support independents over large corporate brands.
• Despite previous local opposition in other areas, Gail’s continues its rapid growth, with over 100 London branches and plans to expand from 180 to 300 UK-wide.
Plans to open a Gail’s bakery in a south London suburb have sparked a backlash from nearby independent coffee shops.
Neighbourhood cafes and restaurants in the Crystal Palace “triangle” – the mini “town centre” at the top of Crystal Palace hill - are “trembling” in fear that their profits will be wiped out by a corporate giant able to lure or “brain-wash” customers.
It is the latest controversy to hit the Gail’s bakery chain - famous for its cinnamon buns and artisan bread – which has grown rapidly to more than 100 stores in London.
Laura Tilli, who runs the Brown & Green café in Church Road with her twin sister Jess, said the imminent opening of Gail’s in the former Cooper’s pub in Westow Hill presented a huge risk to many cafes in the area.
Brown & Green’s Instagram post warning of the likely impact of Gail’s has “gone viral”, with more than 160,000 views and hundreds of messages of support.
It said: “I think we’d all be lying if we said we weren’t worried about this giant moving in.
“For all us independents, day-to-day trade isn’t a granted. We graft. We make changes. We number crunch. We cut hours. We reduce menus. We work. We get up and we do it every day. And, to be clear, it’s hard.
“Our café in the triangle doesn’t make a profit. Yes, we are busy on weekends but this doesn’t cover our weekday losses. It’s tough out there and we are all fighting to stay afloat. Our friends and neighbours and all the small cafes on the triangle are trembling.”
In a message to customers, the post added: “Please think where you buy your coffee, your pastries, your bread, your lunch, brunch, breakfast… us local businesses appreciate you immensely.”
Laura Tilli told The Standard: “Since covid, everybody is struggling to stay alive and keep afloat. People don’t understand the expense and cost of running a café. Yes, we’re busy at the weekend but on weekdays it’s dead in the triangle.
“The main concern with Gail’s coming in is that they’re going to be operating out of a huge site – it used to be a big pub.
“We are worried it’s going to blow everybody out of the water. We are all selling pastries and coffees but they brainwash people. The Crystal Palace triangle is very diverse. Some cafes only have eight or 10 covers.”
The Crystal Palace Gail’s is due to open next month. There are already more than 100 Gail’s bakeries in London, according to the firm’s app.
Gail’s said it “wholeheartedly support independents” through the supply chain and helped to revitalise high streets by taking over empty retail units.
Last year, almost 2,000 people signed a petition opposing the opening of a Gail’s branch in Walthamstow village – but it quickly won over locals and became a popular destination.
There was also controversy when Gail’s opened a branch in Primrose Hill.
According to the British Baker website, Gail’s plans to increase its stores across the UK from 180 to 300.
Brown & Green began life at Gipsy Hill train station and now has six branches in south London, including at Crystal Palace Station, in the National Sports Centre at Crystal Palace and in Crystal Palace park and in Sydenham and Norwood Junction.
A Gail’s spokesperson: “In each neighbourhood we open in, we're one of many businesses and only a small part of the retail picture. A healthy high-street is a diverse one where people in the community have choice.
“We wholeheartedly support independents, demonstrated through the suppliers we choose to work with.
“With every bakery we open, we take over unused shopfronts giving them a new lease of life, create new jobs, and partner with local charities sharing any bakes left at the end of the day; all of which make good food more accessible to more people."
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