UK
Bakery chain Gail’s rises above anti-Zionist activists with sales of £278m
The upmarket bakery has enjoyed a 20% sales increase and is poised to open dozens more branches
December 1, 2025 15:24
The upmarket bakery has enjoyed a 20% sales increase and is poised to open dozens more branches
December 1, 2025 15:24Bakery chain Gail’s appears to have risen above calls for boycotts from anti-Israel activists, enjoying an annual sales increase of almost 20 per cent and plans for dozens of new openings.
Founded in 2005 by Israeli baker Yael (Gail) Mejia, the upmarket bakery chain operates from 185 sites, with the vast majority based in London. Following the breakout of the Israel-Hamas war, Gail’s became the target of anti-Zionist activists who threatened boycotts, along with many who objected to its presence on their high streets on the grounds of gentrification. Meija no longer has any financial involvement in the company.
But Gail’s appears to have risen above the calls for boycotts from vocal anti-Israel campaigners judging by its latest annual figures. Sales rocketed from £232 million at the end of February 2024 to £278m at the same time last year – an increase of nearly 20 per cent, according to financial results filed at Companies House.
The chain opened 36 new branches nationwide in the financial year to 2025, and is due to establish a further 40 by February 2026.
Last summer, hundreds of people signed a petition objecting to the opening of a Gail’s in an east London neighbourhood, with several citing the bakery’s “Zionist” credentials as a reason for their opposition.
Over 1,800 people signed the petition, which claimed Walthamstow Village High Street "faces a threat to its uniqueness with the prospect of Gail’s, a large-scale bakery chain, setting up shop on it.”
The petition stated it was “protecting the unique identity of our community [and] safeguarding the soul of a beloved neighbourhood”.
But some signatories’ comments suggested it was the bakery’s Israeli roots to which they objected.
One supporter wrote on the online petition: “Love local independent bakeries and hate Zionist moguls.”
The business said in a statement released at the time: “Gail’s is a UK-based business with no specific connections to any country or government outside of the UK and does not fund Israel.”
Its most recent accounts state: “Over the year, trading was strong with the group opening 36 new retail bakeries and continuing to see healthy growth in our established locations.
“In addition, the wholesale part of the business continued to grow its large food service business, from its bakeries in London, Manchester and Bath, and due to the continued success of the brands produced and sold through several large UK supermarket businesses.
“The group continues to invest in new retail openings and will continue to expand in wider geographic areas within the UK.”
Mejia, 71, was born in Belsize Park to an English father and an Israeli mother. Her family moved to Israel when she was six months old, and she returned to London in her early twenties.
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