Iconic Kingston record shop Banquet Records has been named the best independent music store in the UK for the second year in a row.

The store on Kingston's Eden Street picked up the award for Independent Retailer of the Year at trade magazine Music Week's annual ceremony on Tuesday 14 September.

It is the shop's 5th such award from the paper.

Owner Jon Tolley grinned at the camera as he held up the gong at the awards do in Battersea this week.

Tolley, a former Banquet employee who took over the shop in 2004, thanked his "excellent staff and great customers" in a Tweet posted that night.

"As said in the acceptance, at a time the music industry has had a tough couple of years, independent record shops have been blessed with loads of artists / labels supporting indie shops, and a reinvigorated appreciation of The High Street from our locals," he wrote.

"Thank you!"

Tolley also gave a shout-out to TikTok, the popular video-sharing platform on which his shop has an astonishing 22.6k followers.

Banquet Records has been credited with reviving the Kingston's music scene, since the iconic store went independent in 2002.

Big names including Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Blink-182 and The 1975 have all played gigs organised by Banquet at Kingston venues including the Rose Theatre, Pryzm and the old Hippodrome.

Since 2006 the shop has hosted regular New Slang club nights where rising music stars play to huge local crowds.

According to MyLondon the shop hosts more than 200 gigs per year and has "turned Kingston into London's mini Glastonbury."

Follow Banquet Records on TikTokHERE or visit its website to learn more[.l]

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