At the Peel St store, the oldest Coles in Tamworth and one of the oldest in regional NSW, a cake was cut and shared with customers, while over at Northgate a display of memorabilia was the focal point of the day.

Staff at Northgate brought in all sorts of historic pieces dating back to the early 1900s when the first Coles store was opened on April 9, 1914 in Collingwood, Victoria, and also dressed up to represent the era.

The first NSW shop was opened in 1928 in Pitt St, Sydney.

Coles in Peel St today has 120 staff members, some notching up more than three decades with the company, while at Northgate, with 85 employees, manager David Ferguson has worked for Coles for 34 years.

Employees also received a little gift on behalf of their employer, a commemorative pin, book and DVD.