CHIPS Dudley is riding high after being shortlisted for a national industry award.

 The video games store in the Trident Shopping Centre is one of five stores across the country to have reached the finals of the prestigious MCV Star Store Award.

The MCV Excellence Awards event is the highlight of the UK’s video games calendar when all the big players gather to honour excellence within the industry. The ceremony will take place on April 23.

Gav Pearson, who lives in Worcester, opened CHIPS Dudley in 2006 and is now up against some biggest video games stores in the UK for the title.

“To be nominated for this award was terrific and we are now delighted we have made it to the finals,” said Gav, who runs the store with the help of Lindsey Richards and Phil Lowe.

“When you see the other finalists you can see what a great achievement this is for CHIPS Dudley.”

The award winners will be announced at a huge ceremony in London on April 23.

CHIPS Dudley scooped the CHIPS Store of the Year Award last October and the MCV judges have been impressed by the store’s excellent customer service, choice of stock and presentation. The store arranges lots of promotion days, raises money for charity and Gav and his staff have made a great success of the store. 

Other finalists in this category are: GAME Oxford Street; HMV; GameStation and Asda.

Gav’s success in making it to the shortlist is not the only one for CHIPS, the UK’s biggest independent video games retailer. It has also made the finals of three other awards.

CHIPS is also a finalist in the following categories:

High Street Retailer – CHIPS is one of five finalists and will be battling for the title against HMV, Game Gamestation & Asda.

 Retail Innovation - Judges have been impressed by CHIPS very own branded accessories range which they have selected for the shortlist.

 Store Manager – CHIPS Hereford’s manager Richard Pascoe.

“To be chosen as a finalist in four out of the five retail categories is a huge honour,” said Don McCabe, Joint Managing Director of Chipsworld Ltd and CHIPS Franchise Ltd.

 ”We are the only independent retailer in the High Street Retail section and we are delighted our own CHIPS accessories range has been chosen as a retail innovation.”

Fellow Joint MD Nik Agar, who masterminded the CHIPS accessories range, said: “To have two of our individual stores and staff as finalists – CHIPS Dudley and Hereford – is also a great achievement and we are delighted Gav Pearson and Richard Pascoe’s great efforts have been recognised.”

The winners will be chosen by a 100-strong panel of video games retail experts.

 CHIPS has more than 30 stores across the country from Glasgow to the south coast and all buy, sell and trade consoles, video games and accessories.