ROTY winners announced

Melbourne-based meanswear store Harrolds and Sydney-based chain General Pants have been unveiled as the true champions of Australian fashion in the 2005 TNT Ragtrader Retailer of the Year Awards (ROTY).
The pair, awarded Best Independent and Best Chain respectively, beat off stiff competition from more than 100 nominees to take out the awards during a special ceremony at Sydney's Botanical Gardens Restaurant last week (February 02).
Finalists in the chains category included: Jeans West, Feathers, Jacqui E, General Pants and Blue Illusion.
But awards judge Amanda Young, also the executive director of the Australian Centre for Retail Studies, said General Pants had succeeded in differentiating its business with high energy environments, timely product and a dominant range of youth brands.
State winners in the independent category included Platinum (South Australia), Andiamo (New South Wales), Noosa Juniorz (Queensland) and Harrolds (Victoria). Western Australian-based independent Daneechi was singled out for a special fair play award in recognition of the progress it had made during the year.
Young said Harrolds boasted a "world class retail business with an enviable customer base".
Ragtrader editor Tracey McEldowney said the judging of this year's awards proved a challenging role due to the high calibre of entrants.
McEldowney said Australia's tough retail conditions meant retailers were under increasing pressure to compete, showcase their abilities and stay ahead of the game.
"The shortlisted businesses did all the tangibles well but it was the hard-to-define but unmistakable pull factor that got the winners over the line."