Update from the EO

Hello to all of our wonderful businesses,

It’s been a busy and energising start to autumn in the city, with Super Sale Saturday wrapped, new campaigns underway, and plenty more on the horizon. It’s a great time to be in Launceston, with events, activations and city-wide energy creating positive momentum for local business.

Super Sale Saturday & TAGS OFF_

A huge congratulations to our small but mighty team for delivering another fantastic Super Sale Saturday. A special shoutout to Megan, who worked tirelessly (while part time!) to build excitement among businesses and it paid off in spades. There was a real buzz in the city this year, with more social media activity from businesses than ever helping to spread the word far and wide.

We also saw a noticeable increase in entries from unique postcodes across Tasmania and even interstate. It's fantastic to see the additional marketing budget from Events Tasmania targeting the North West and North East translating into real results. This year’s Shop to Win competition saw a big jump in both entries and overall spend in the CBD, something we know wouldn’t have happened without the support of your staff encouraging people to shop and enter on the day.

Thank you to all the retailers who got involved with offers, activations or simply opened your doors and helped bring energy to the city. However you participated, we appreciate the role you played.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to share your feedback via the survey linked in this newsletter. Your insights help us improve the event each year and make sure it continues to deliver for both businesses and the community.

In more retail news, we also wrapped up our latest TAGS OFF_ event last week, with over 80 guests heading to Du Cane for an evening of local fashion and midweek fun. Six Launceston retailers took part in the runway showcase, highlighting the incredible talent and creativity in our city. Events like TAGS OFF_ are a great way to shine a light on our local stores and encourage shopping local!

Launceston 10 Year Strategic Plan — open for feedback

The City of Launceston’s draft Strategic Plan for 2025–2035 is currently open for public feedback. This document will shape the city’s direction for the next decade, and we strongly encourage businesses to take a moment to have their say.

We know time is limited for business owners, so here are a few key takeaways that directly impact our CBD traders and city centre users groups:

• Support for local businesses and entrepreneurs
  The plan continues the 'Business-Friendly Council' initiative and proposes the development of innovation hubs and microbusiness incubators. There’s a strong focus on enabling local start-ups and reducing red tape for new ventures. This will be instrumental in keeping and attracting talent to out City.
• Enhancing Launceston’s city heart
  The CBD is recognised as a vital cultural and commercial centre. Initiatives include increased inner-city housing, nighttime activations, and art-based play programming in the Brisbane Street Mall to improve city vibrancy and foot traffic.
• Creative industries and cultural activation
  The plan proposes a year-round calendar of accessible cultural events and expanding Launceston’s identity as a creative city. It also outlines the creation of Australia’s first Collection Discovery Centre at QVMAG, increasing engagement with arts and heritage.
• Walkability and public space activation
  Goals include creating a walkable urban core, reducing car dominance, expanding tree canopy coverage to 30%, and connecting green corridors to open public spaces. This supports a greener, more welcoming and usable city centre — key to boosting dwell time and making Launceston more vibrant in the daytime and nighttime.
• Young professionals and population retention
  To counter Launceston’s ageing population, the plan aims to attract and retain 25–34 year-olds through lifestyle offerings, housing diversity, and better city amenities — all things that also benefit the broader economy and culture of the city.
• Transport and accessibility
  The strategy aims for more reliable public transport (including Bus Rapid Transit), integrated active transport like walking and bike riding, and more reliable and more diverse travel options to our suburbs, regional towns and villages.
• Housing and liveable density
  A focus on delivering 4,300 new dwellings by 2035 through medium-density living, providing further round the clock vibrancy to the CBD and surrounds.

You can view the full plan and have your say via the Council’s website: City of Launceston Draft Strategic Plan 2025–2035

We are excited to see so many elements of the draft plan align closely with our existing campaigns and activations. Developing a vibrant night-time economy, creative placemaking, and the ongoing support for supporting local business, are all priorities Launceston Central has heard directly from our businesses and network. It’s encouraging to see the Council’s strategic direction reflect these conversations, and we look forward to working together as a city to bring these goals to life in the heart of the city.

Hawthorn returns to Launnie and it’s a big season ahead!

The return of AFL season to Launceston is great news for our city, not just for footy fans, but for businesses too. With four matches scheduled and two of them being night games (the first since 2018!), we’re expecting strong interstate and intrastate visitation across the season.

These weekends are a great opportunity for all kinds of businesses to get involved. Whether you're in retail, hospitality, or services, consider how you can leverage the increased foot traffic. Maybe it's a ticket-holder offer, footy-themed display, or just some extra staff rostered on to manage the extra people in the city.

If you’d like to get involved or talk through ideas, email us at [email protected] and we’ll make sure you’re in the loop with what’s planned around each match day.

Madi Biggelaar

Interim Executive Officer

Launceston Central