A popular chicken shop has unveiled plans to expand its stores across the United Kingdom. Miss Millie's, which originated in Bristol, has now penned a deal to expand across the nation.
The store's story began in the late 1980s, when Harry Latham - KFC's man in Britain - set up his own store, reports BristolLive. The chain then became a staple of the South West England, branching out into nearby Yate and Weston-super-Mare.
But it has now agreed to open 10 more branches outside of its home region - including one in London. It is a transformation for a brand that has been so staunchly Bristolian for over three decades.
The growth plan has already seen Miss Millie’s open in Billericay in Essex, and late last year in the trendy east London hipsterville that is Walthamstow. But now a new Miss Millie’s has just opened in Southampton, and bosses say there will be more where that came from in the months and years ahead.
Such was the excitement in Southampton at the arrival of Miss Millie’s that the mayor of the city - Jacqui Rayment - cut the ribbon to open the store earlier this month. Now Miss Millie’s said it has plans to expand even more, after signing a deal with the Scoffs Group.
A spokesman said: "The 10-store deal within Southampton and the Southeast region marks a new phase for both companies. For the Scoffs Group, it signals the company’s transition from a single to a multi-brand franchise. For Miss Millie’s, it launches the brand’s expansion into a new geographical region."
The legend of Miss Millie’s began with Harry Latham - who was Colonel Sanders’ right-hand man during the 1960s and '70s as the pair expanded the Kentucky Fried Chicken empire across Britain. From the 1960s, Mr Latham ran the KFC UK franchise, and in the late 1980s, he got the Colonel’s permission to branch out on his own, and he created Miss Millie’s as a kind of KFC spin-off - named after the Colonel's own daughter.
Miss Millie's has previously attempted to expand out of South West England, with branches opening in Cardiff. However the final one closed its doors in 2018.
Mr Latham retired in 1993, but his four daughters Ann Walker, Sheila Wilson, Kerry Baldin and Kate Ostrowski took over the running of the firm until they sold it in 2018, saying at the time "the decision to sell a business that’s been in our family for over 50 years was very tough despite us recognising the time had come". Mr Latham died in 2019.
Now the new owners have ambitious plans. Initially curtailed by the pandemic, a Miss Millie’s opened in Yate in July 2020. Then, in 2021, a Miss Millie’s went outside South Wales and the West Country for the first time, with the grand opening of a chicken shop in Billericay and in, November last year, in Walthamstow.
It is, according to Miss Millie’s, already a massive hit with the east Londoners - who are particularly keen on the chain’s new gourmet burgers.
Now it’s Southampton that is experiencing Miss Millie’s for the first time. “I’m very proud of our team, delivering an absolute ‘knockout’ new store design and menu for our latest store opening in Southampton.” said the firm’s managing director, Carl Traill. “Kudos to all of the team, for delivering and executing it brilliantly,” he added.
