From the birth of the brand on an East End market stall in London in 1919 up to World War II, this first of three programmes tells the story of the past against behind-the-scenes filming during 2020.

The second episode of the series charts the company's reinvention from 100 small shops to a retail empire ruled by founder Jack Cohen.

The retailer's transformation from a cut-price upstart to market leader. After the death of its founder Jack Cohen in 1979, the company was in the middle of a high-risk transition and an outside takeover was a real danger. Ian MacLaurin, Jack Cohen's first management trainee, was chief executive at the time. His vision for the company was very different from Jack's pile-it-high, sell-it cheap approach. He set out to transform the company and compete with the number one retailer Sainsbury's - something that was achieved in 1995.