Brixton gets a Gail’s on 16 October as more than 1,300 sign petition against it

Gail’s opens its new Brixton Road bakery on Friday 16 October, directly beside Brixton Underground station, even though a petition opposing it has gathered more than 1,300 signatures.

The chain is taking over a unit previously occupied by Chopstix, which has been empty since autumn 2025. Brixton is the Victoria line’s southern terminus, and the station records around 55,500 entries and exits a day. Doors will open at 6am, and Gail’s expects to take on 15 to 20 staff in a range of roles.

Why some Brixton residents oppose the new Gail’s

Gail’s prices have drawn criticism, with a cinnamon bun at £4 and loaves from £4.90, and across London the brand has become shorthand for gentrification. Signatories to the online petition said chains of this kind ignore the people who live in Brixton and its Black and working-class history. Several warned the area was losing its character.

Small businesses nearby are already feeling the squeeze. Pritesh Patel ran the news stand inside Brixton Tube station for 36 years, just metres from the new bakery, before shutting it earlier this year. He said TfL told him the rent to stay would be £85,000 a year, more than double what he had paid before.

The Brixton site is part of a wider expansion. In late November 2025 Gail’s set out plans for 40 more shops, after sales rose by a fifth over the previous year.

Magic Breakfast partnership

Gail’s is marking the opening by teaming up with Magic Breakfast. The charity tackles morning hunger in schools in England and Scotland. Under the deal, Gail’s will help fund 20,000 breakfasts over the school year for UK children who risk going without, some of them at Lambeth schools.