Irish confectionery franchise Butlers Chocolate CafÉ is opening its first international outlet in New Zealand through a franchise agreement with Irish expatriate Peter Kelly. The cafÉ opens in Wellington, and if it is successful the company plans to develop further international outlets in the US and Europe.

"If it proves successful, the whole world is open to us," says Managing Director Colm Sorensen. "We don't have a target yet for how many outlets we could open, but you could see Butlers cafes in one or two other countries before the end of the year.

The Butlers Chocolate CafÉ network in Ireland was launched in 1998 by the Sorensen family and spans 10 stores. "We have decided not to franchise the Butlers cafes in Ireland, and we would probably also look at operating them ourselves in the UK," says Sorensen. "But we have done a lot of work on the franchising concept and are constantly getting inquiries."