Good news for Gravesend – and for our campaign to “grow” the town with big name stores and attract more customers here.

A multi-million property deal is due to be struck soon.

It will see the site of former M&S store in Gravesend go to another well known brand – with the contract expected to be completed in February.

It’s believed that B&M stores, which has branches in Canterbury, Sheppey and Dover, has been negotiating with estate agent CBRE over a lease for the building in New Road, priced at £3m.

James Keany, senior director at CBRE, while declining to name the possible purchaser, said this week: “We can confirm the site is under offer and the deal is due to complete in February 2016.”

B&M has the slogan Big Brands Big Savings and sells goods ranging from toys and sofas to stereos and chocolate.

M&S closed in September, 2014, after a century of trading in the town and has remained empty ever since.

It still owns the building but has remained silent on its future. The 52,302 sq ft space is described on CBRE’s website as a “prime retail building arranged over four floors, with two trading floors”.

Freehold of the building was available at a quoting price of £3m, or a new 15-year full repairing and insuring lease at a quoting rent of £280,000 a year.

Many people were sad to see M&S close, including elderly Vera Purll – in her nineties – who along with the Messenger campaigned to keep it open.

She got 800 people to sign her petition which was added to 2,000 names collected by this paper and handed to M&S bosses.

Simon Hookway, the council's economic development manager, said: "It's been over a year since M&S closed so a new store store coming in would be great news for Gravesend."

Gravesham borough Councillor Harold Craske (Con) welcomed the news saying: “The closure of M&S was a big blow to the town, and if it’s true, it would be great to have a major store coming here.”