Butcher set to open in city
Lowood business will close to relocate to Toowoomba
BRETT Owen knows turning the locks on his Lowood butchers for the final time this month will be agonisingly bitter-sweet.
He and fellow co-owner Andrew Wishart of Country Quality Meats decided to relocate their business to Toowoomba after the right opportunity arose as the pair was faced with escalating running costs.
Mr Owen said industry changes had prompted them to re-evalute and come up with a new business plan incorporating a kitchen and deli into their new premises.
“You’ve gotta move forward, you got to evolve yourself and your business or you can be left behind,” Mr Owen said.
“All the staff are moving with us, and that’s also part of the reason we’ve taken the opportunity - to secure their employment.”
Mr Owen said the change was positively but added his regret to be closing the town’s historic butchers.
“We loved it the whole time we’ve been in Lowood,” he said.
“Thanks to everybody who supported us... owning a small country business is like building a family.”
He said the new store
❝You’ve gotta move forward, you got to evolve yourself and your business or you can be left behind.
— Brett Owen
would offer home delivery and the same “old-school butchering” style with locally-sourced meats.
With nobody yet placed to take over the store, Mr Owen conceded Lowood would likely lose its own butcher.
The duo will open their new store Andrew’s Meats at Toowoomba’s Grand Central Shopping Centre on November 15.
The Lowood store will remain open until the end of October but has no exact closing date, with customers asked to check their Facebook page for updates.
Find Country Quality Meats at 63 Main St, Lowood before Andrew’s Meats opens in Grand Central, Toowoomba on November 15