Gail’s is planning to open a new store in Bath.

The London-based bakery chain has submitted a planning application to set up shop in Soho Coffee’s old location.

The premises on the corner of Upper Borough Walls and Union Street has sat empty since Soho Coffee shut last month.

The upmarket bakery is known for its range of baked goods and its coffee. Job adverts have already been listed on the company’s website for bakers, baristas, managers and team leaders to staff the new store.

It is the latest step in Gail’s expansion into the South West. Its first store in the region, in the Clifton area of Bristol, opened last year. The planning application for the Bath store was submitted just days before Gail’s opened its second location in Bristol on Whiteladies Road.

Four separate applications have been submitted to Bath and North East Somerset Council council covering minor alterations, listed building consent, and advertising consent. The council will aim to decide the application by May 16.

In the run-up to the 2024 general election, the Liberal Democrats reportedly used Gail’s as a bellwether for which Conservative-held seats to target. But the party has beaten the bakery to Bath, which has been held by Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse since 2017.

Soho Coffee closed on January 12, in what a notice posted on the door said was a “bittersweet decision.” But the letter hinted another location could reopen, stating: “This isn’t goodbye forever, keep your eyes peeled for an exciting update soon.”

You can view and comment on the planning application for the new shop fit out here: https://www.bathnes.gov.uk/webforms/planning/details.html?refval=25%2F00667%2FLBA#details_Section

The other applications can be seen under the “planning history” tab on its page on the Bath and North East Somerset Council planning portal.