Mad Butcher expands, opens 40th store

Veritas Investments Limited (NZX:VIL.NZ - News) subsidiary Mad Butcher Limited has opened its 40th franchise store.

Located in the Nelson suburb of Stoke, the store provides direct access to a local market of some 7,000 people and a wider population of around 46,000 in the larger Nelson city area.

Mad Butcher Chief Executive and Veritas Director Michael Morton says the company searched for a suitable site in Nelson for about 18 months.

"It’s a prosperous area with a good size population and the competition is mainly from supermarkets so we see an opportunity to successfully carve out our niche in the area. If the first weekend is any guide, this will be a very successful store."

The franchise is owned by former professional rugby player Daniel Perrin (31) who approached Mad Butcher about setting up a franchise.

A butcher by trade, Perrin worked in the Riccarton Mad Butcher store some eight or nine years ago before his sports career flourished. A hooker, he played 14 games for the Crusaders and six for the Chiefs as well as 74 provincial games for Tasman’s Makos and the Bay of Plenty’s Steamers.