In 1884 Michael Marks, a Polish-born refugee from Russia, opened a stall in Leeds Kirkgate market. Ten years later Marks had ten shops and, joined forces with Thomas Spencer to create one of the strongest brands in British retailing.

This year, M&S celebrates 125 years of retailing with an iconic ad campaign running throughout the summer. But these celebrations aren’t just aimed at increasing traffic flow, and restoring its margins to pre-credit crunch levels. Creative agency Aqueduct has launched an impressive visual timeline charting the M&S history, forming part of the retail giant’s corporate communications push around this anniversary. The timeline can be found on M&S’s corporate website.