The well known British bakery and coffee shop chain Gail’s could be on on its way to Cheltenham to replace Russell & Bromley, but how will this affect independent coffee shops in the area?
“People are more likely to come from the high street and go straight to Gail’s rather than coming up and checking us out”, fears the team at Otis & Belle, an Artisan Bakery in Montpellier.
Cheltenham’s high street is changing, and its small businesses are facing the impact. Whilst there is an increase in independent coffee shop closures, big chains have started to move in, and independent owners and shop workers have expressed their concerns.
The arrival of major chains such as Knoop’s has added to competition in a town that is already saturated with coffee shops and bakeries. While new openings have brought in investment and footfall to Cheltenham, several independent cafés have struggled to keep pace.
Nadia March, owner of The Prom Coffee CO, expresses her concerns for not only her own business as an Independent ‘coffee-and-go’ van situated on the promenade, but also for small family run companies in the area.
Nadia said, “GAIL’s is obviously a big chain, they are a lot more expensive in comparison to other bakeries. I’m more concerned for other small businesses like The Artisan Baker and Otis & Belle”.
Gail’s, who’s already hiring for Head Bakers in Cheltenham, are offering £14.20 to £15.17 an hour.
This year, Cheltenham High Street has already seen the closure of the much-loved independent café, Sorrel Stores, and many others fear that they may be next, following the announcements of the possible upcoming addition of the popular chains.
Otis & Belle is a family-run business that positions itself as a high-end artisan bakery in Montpellier, known for sourdough and pastries, occupying the same market as GAIL’s.
The concern for an independent business like Otis & Belle is not just ‘more cafés’, but more well-capitalised brands competing for the same customers.
A concern echoed by Maisy, a member of the small team at Otis & Belle, is that their target customers may choose to go to a more well-known, reputable name. She said: “Everything you see here is baked in the Cotswolds by a team of Artisan bakers. Normally GAIL’s is a symbol of gentrification”.
The news of the rumoured opening of GAIL’s in Cheltenham came as a shock to the Otis & Belle team.
“For sure it will affect us. We already have a few competitors around here but they’re all independents”.
By Ashanti Simpson, with additional reporting by Rebecca Johnson and Holly Hartshorn.
