Brighton's Resident Records scoops national retail award

Resident Records in Kensington Gardens, Brighton, scooped Music Weekly’s independent retailer award at a ceremony in Battersea last night.

The event was hosted by comedy star Munya Chawawa, and saw 1,400 industry professionals turn out for one of the most highly regarded events in the music calendar.

Derry Watkins and Natasha Young at the ceremony

Resident’s owners, Derry Watkins and Natasha Young, were on hand to collect the award, which they said was an “unexpected win”.

A spokeswoman for the record shop said: “This is the fifth time we have won the award since opening in 2004, but this was the toughest set of competitors, so despite knowing that we’re really good at what we do, we definitely weren’t expecting it.

“It was by far the biggest award ceremony to date, so this felt like an extra special win for us.

“The award feels like a validation of the service that we provide and a recognition of the effort that we put into making every part of our business the best it can be – whether you shop with us in person, online, come to the events we put on or just like to come in for a chat and recommendation.”

Resident was shortlisted along with eight other record shops but came out on top in the peer-voted awards.

Derry and Natasha outside their store

“It’s a big win for the whole team here who put in so much effort every day to make this the special business that it is. We’re thrilled to have won it,” she said.

The store regularly hosts live events – including recent gigs from indie star Miles Kane in the store, and up and coming post-punk outfit Yard Act at Patterns, Brighton.

During lockdown, the business operated exclusively online, though took good care of its customers by including a sachet of fruit tea to enjoy along with their new records.

It has now returned to an in-person format, and is usually packed, particularly on weekends.