Miss Millie’s

About Miss Millie’s

Although Miss Millies has been serving fried chicken across the south west and Wales for more than 30 years, its roots in the industry stretch back even further to 1965, when its former chairman, Harry Latham, set up KFC in the UK, alongside his partner Ray Allen. Latham initially served as managing director of KFC UK before opening stores in 1988 in the south west under the Miss Millies brand.

As Latham was good friends with KFC founder Colonel Sanders, he decided to name the new operation after the Colonel’s daughter, Mildred. The family owned and ran the chain up until it was bought by new management in 2019.

In March 2022, it secured a franchise partnership with Scoffs Group - the largest Costa Coffee franchisee in the UK - for a ten-site deal encompassing Southampton and the south east and south west region. The first of these stores, opened in Southampton in September 2022. Managing director Carl Traill said: “This partnership will see us expand our geographical reach into the south coast region for the first time. We have imminent plans to grow the Miss Millies brand into other regions, and we look forward to welcoming Scoffs Group on board this exciting journey.”

In March 2023, Miss Millie’s struck a deal to branch out into the garage forecourt sector after entering into a franchise partnership with Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the UK’s largest independent forecourt operator. The first site opened in Wellington, followed by further ones in Langley and Newquay, and a third in Mussleburgh - the brand’s Scottish debut - is set to follow. MFG’s food service director, Paul Deary, said: “Food-to-go is becoming a growing attraction to our forecourt customers. We are always looking to offer high quality and exciting products and I believe the introduction of Miss Millie’s ‘awesome chicken’ range will prove to be a success.”

In October 2023, Scoffs told Propel it has discontinued its Miss Millie’s operation and passed the one site it did open, in Southampton, to another Miss Millie’s franchisee. Chief operating officer Paul Turner said: “The group conducted a strategic review of its Miss Millie’s proposition, localised brand strength and customer demographic and concluded this operation did not meet the group’s expectations, and therefore discontinued operations.”

In November 2023, Traill stepped down as managing director to “pursue new challenges”. He said: “The last five years have been full of challenges, achievements and milestones which I am hugely proud to have led the brand through. We have doubled the number of stores to 16 with a strong pipeline for new openings in 2024/25.”

In November 2024, new chief executive Andy Purnell joined the business after two and a half years at Soul Foods Group, the KFC, Starbucks and Taco Bell franchisee. The brand said it has “exciting plans to expand in various locations around the UK for 2025” and has conducted an in-depth review of its brand, looking at how to attract a younger audience. The rebrand also signalled a much wider review of the entire business, looking at menu construct, new flavours, ingredient suppliers, digital infrastructure, packaging and social media.

Purnell said: “Miss Millie’s has an amazing history and brand reputation in the south west, but with our new expansion plans, it was time for a new approach to ensure we have a wider appeal, and we’re so excited to reveal our new look, alongside our new flavours and menu items. It’s so much more than a new look - this is a new attitude and a renewed focus on excellent quality food for everyone.”

In July 2025, the brand confirmed it would be making its Kent debut, in Canterbury. In January 2026, Miss Millie’s said it would be making its Kent debut, in Colchester, for its 14th store.

Why franchise with Miss Millie’s

• ✓Fit out is from £250,000, with average annual sales of £800,000-£1m and a payback period of three to four years, with a 10-15% profit. Miss Millie’s is actively seeking franchisees in a variety of locations – including takeaway, dine-in, drive-thru, city centre, suburban, shopping centres, food courts, services, airports and holiday parks – and has identified more than 600 franchise opportunities in the UK.
• ✓The company is looking for proven experience in the fast food and takeaway industry, as well as the ability and knowledge to secure great locations. Minimum investment is £175,000 and total investment £450,000, with £25,000 franchise fees. Store cost is £250,000-£350,000, with a three-year return on investment.
• ✓Unit size can be from 900-2,500 square feet, and the franchise agreement length is ten years, with the option for ten further years. Franchisees have the opportunity to run a multi-unit business, and for their investment, franchisees will receive full training, assistance with site selection and store fit-out plus support from an experienced head office team during the start-up stages of the business and once it has been established.
• ✓Franchisees also benefit from an established supply chain and the economies of scale that are a result of the company’s bulk buying power. Franchisees also receive assistance with marketing, operations and business development.

Investment breakdown