Mosgiel has been chosen as home to the first Mad Butcher mini store in the country.
The Mad Butcher Mini opened in Gordon Rd earlier this month, after local franchise holder Tony Coulson spotted the empty butcher's store in town and ''saw an opportunity''.
''We were driving past it each day and thought it was waste. I think it's been a butcher's shop since the 1950s.''
Mr Coulston, who runs Mad Butcher Dunedin and Mosgiel, had received positive feedback from the community since the store opened.
''It's the best of both worlds. We get economies of scale, with most of the processing done in the main store in Dunedin, and there is always a butcher on site ready to cut anything for anyone at any time,'' Mr Coulston said.
''Customers can also order products not available in the Mosgiel store to be delivered from Dunedin within 24 hours.''
Mr Coulston was using Mad Butcher staff to run the Mosgiel store but might look to employ more people if the demand was there.
''We're happy to be in Mosgiel. It's good for the town. People don't have to go to Dunedin to shop at the Mad Butcher.''
Mad Butcher chief executive and Veritas director Michael Morton said the mini concept store presented a new growth opportunity for franchisees.
Three other franchisees in New Zealand have expressed interest in establishing similar stores and are looking for suitable sites.
''The parent store handles the bulk of meat processing and storage of other products, allowing the mini store to operate as an outpost with a sole butcher on site,'' Mr Morton said.
''This enables us to expand our footprint and increase national trade in areas not big enough for traditional size stores. It's a great opportunity for franchisees to expand their coverage at reasonable cost.''
The store offered all advertised Mad Butcher promotions.
