KEY POINTS:
He's made a fortune selling off his Mad Butcher chain but Peter Leitch is holding on to the store from where it all started and the name that made him famous.
The 63-year-old, whose Mad Butcher stores have become a successful franchise throughout the country, has sold the multimillion-dollar business to his daughter's partner, Michael Morton, for an undisclosed sum.
But the fervent Vodafone Warriors supporter, who worked as a telegram boy in his hometown of Wellington before his foray into butchering, said his shop in Massey Rd, which he bought in 1969, was not part of the sale.
"I'm keeping my Mangere store for sentimental reasons mate," he said.
"There's a lot of blood, sweat and tears here and some incredibly long hours and this is where it all started for the butcher."
Leitch's store in South Auckland, which was originally known as Rosella Meats, "home of the Mad Butcher", before his alter ego assumed the title, is like a rugby league museum.
Among the meat packs are pictures of him posing with Helen Clark with his "goat" thumbs-up pose, shots of the triumphant Kiwis team who won the 2005 Tri-Nations in England, books he's helped to write, autographed jerseys and other memorabilia, including the $5 posters he's trying to sell for the Cancer society.
Changes are on the way for Leitch, who charms all customers who walk into the shop with his everyday chit-chat and genuine concern for how their days are going.
He will still have a role as a brand manager handling advertising and public relations for the chain of stores.
But one thing that's staying is the name.
"I'll be the Mad Butcher until the day I die, mate," he says.
"A mate of mine said to me that what I was doing with the mad butcher thing wasn't an act. It really is who I am and a part of my life."
While he now has more free time on his hands, Leitch says he is unlikely to become a mad golfer as he will still be fundraising for the several charities he's involved with and wants to catch up with friends around the country.
