Jeanie Davidson / 04 February 2025 / Categories: Shops, Specialty, Food & Drink

Gail’s Bakery St John’s Wood

It’s almost 20 years since Gail’s opened their first bread shop in Hampstead, 2005. I was perhaps not the first but an early customer and have been going to the one in St John’s Wood on and off for about 5 years.

The bakery has opened its 150 store with plans for 30 more in 2025. The business is now worth a staggering 500 million.

And yet today I was turned away.

I had a problem with my phone, the internet and I couldn’t get my daily bread.

Even though they know me, I couldn’t pay tomorrow.

I had no idea this is a cashless business. I wonder what the Big Issue lady does if she wants to buy a loaf, I bet she doesn’t have a bank card or Apple Pay.

What happens if the internet goes down everyone’s phone doesn’t work. Or not being able to get on a banking app stops us getting a loaf of bread?

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It does if you are a loyal Gail’s customer.

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I feel this is a big shift in community and neighbourhood. Not sure a cashless business serves us the people as well as perhaps the business.

I know the posh bakery chain has expanded across London, made easier by the number of vacant properties across the UK high st, boss Tom Molnar told the times, and plans to hire an additional 1000 staff this year. However not everyone is excited.

In my neighbourhood, Primrose Hill there’s been a campaign and petition going to stop them taking over and ruining the local bakers business and apparently the people of Walthamstow didn’t want the high priced bread either.

Gail’s began when Gail Mejia brought together a group of artisan bakers to provide wholesale luxury product from “The Bread Factory” in the 1990s.

Today the cashless business, which says on its website, they welcome everyone, actually everyone with an iPhone or Android phone or bank card. For me it’s a real shame such a good business, with so many shops across London and stretching from Oxford to Brighton, is not more inclusive.

I guess that’s why they call it posh bread.