A familiar landmark in Gravesend town centre marks its centenary in a three-day extravaganza.

Marks and Spencer, in New Road, Gravesend, has been serving shoppers for almost 100 years and there will be a big birthday bash to mark the occasion.

Taking place over three days from Thursday, to today (Saturday), it will include a food and wine tasting session and bucks fizz for customers.

Customers and staff can take a trip back in time and learn about the 129 year history of the company with the Marks in Time exhibition.

It will feature photos, documents and even products of Marks and Spencer from years gone by as well as the first ever uniform worn by an M&S employee.

Some of the staff will be donning uniforms worn by employees at the branch in 1949.

The M&S opened in New Road in 1914, and moved to a different part of the street in 1927, where it remains to this day.

Although the celebrations are coming a little early, a spokesman for M&S said it was to mark the opening in the 1913/1914 financial year.

Store manager Katie Berry said: “It’s nice to give something back to the customers and I think they’ll have a really good time. They should find the exhibition especially interesting.

“We’ve got a lot of customers who prefer coming to us over Bluewater shopping centre. They like to support their local store which is really nice.

“Staff and customers enjoy a friendly relationship in store which is also nice to see.”

Miss Berry said a town centre branch running successfully for such a long time was quite an achievement in the current economic climate.

“I think it’s good for staff morale because there is so much pressure in retail at the moment, lots of people are going to the internet for their shopping instead, so to still be trading in the town centre for 100 years is something to celebrate.”

M&S will celebrate its autumn fashion collection at its Bluewater store on Thursday, September 12 from 10am.

There will be style presentations, advice from personal shoppers, the launch of a new shoe department and free glasses of bubbly for over 18s.