Launceston Chamber Of Commerce chief executive Neil Grose said the awards reflected the changing demands of business success in 2018.

“This year the Chamber celebrated entrepreneurs, redefining each category to reflect the entrepreneurial nature of the Launceston business community,” he said.

Winners of the Retail Entrepreneur Of The Year award, Hope & Me impressed judges with their ability to expand their reach far beyond the footprint of their store. 

Owner of Hope & Me, Lindi McMahon said the reason behind their expansion was because of the ever-changing landscape of local retail. 

“The face of retail is changing dramatically, and more and more people are shopping online, people aren’t shopping locally as much as they use to,” she said.  

“Over the last 12 months, we have seen a decrease in the retail side of the business, so that prompted us to push forward with the interior side of things which has been steadily progressing.”

While Lindi has seen the trends of shoppers moving away from the shopfronts, she is still a passionate advocate for shopping local. 

“For me personally I am so passionate about Launceston City and I really want to see small businesses being successful and the city thriving,” she said. 

“We really get on board and try and do inclusive promotions and work with others to increase visitation and vibrancy in the city.

“We’ve met so many amazing people over the nine years of owning the store too, which is a really special side of having a storefront.”

Asked what she enjoyed most about owning a retail store, Lindi said: 

“I love being able to support local makers and going away to find beautifully designed Australian made products that are a bit different to what everyone else has got,” she said. 

Hope & Me are located in the Quadrant Mall, Launceston.