A NEWLY launched gift and homeware boutique has been named a winner in a competition supporting up-and-coming independent retailers.

Fond Shop Lymm, owned by Laura Collier, was awarded £5,000 to purchase inventory on Faire, a global wholesale marketplace.

The competition, part of Faire's 'Open with Faire' initiative, aims to assist new shop owners by offering up to £20,000 in free, 60-day payment terms to stock their shelves.

The shop, which opened in Lymm earlier this month, sells goods from UK creatives and plans to use the money to replenish stock and expand its product range ahead of the festive season.

The competition was part of Faire's 'Open with Faire' initiative (Image: Supplied) Fond Shop Lymm owner, Laura Collier, said: "Burnout from a previous job made me reflect on how I could find fulfilment in my career and combine my skills with my personal passions.

"I realised that the only way to achieve this was to finally chase a dream I’ve had in some form or another for 20 years and open my own bricks-and-mortar shop.

"Winning this competition has provided me with such a boost—not just financially but also in energy and confidence for my shop's launch.

"Preparing to open my first shop has been a thrilling but exhausting experience, and winning the competition has given me the extra surge of joy that will take me to opening day still smiling."

The shop sells goods from UK creatives (Image: Supplied) The competition required entrants to submit a video explaining how the £5,000 prize would help transform their business.

Fond Shop Lymm was chosen as a winner by a panel of judges, including Andrew Goodacre, CEO of the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), and Charlotte Broadbent, Faire’s UK general manager.

Ms Broadbent said: "We’re excited to help make Laura’s shop dream a reality by fully supporting the launch of Fond Shop Lymm, along with all the other new retailers we’ve accepted onto our Open with Faire programme to help reinvigorate British high streets.

"So many brilliant up-and-coming businesses entered Faire’s competition to bring more support for UK independent retail, and I can’t wait to see what they all have in store."

The shop was chosen as a winner by a panel of judges (Image: Supplied) Fond Shop Lymm was a joint winner with Wasteless Market in Bexley, a sustainable business focused on helping shoppers reduce waste.

Ms Collier added: "I'd spent many hours on Faire and added so many amazing products to my basket that I wanted to buy them all but couldn’t afford to.

"But now I can stock the range of brands and products that best showcase my vision for my shop and set the best first impression."