The finance director of Associated British Foods (ABF) - the organisation which owns discount clothing chain Primark - has said he is confident the nation's high streets will "regenerate" in the coming months.
John Bason's comments come on the back of figures which predict Primark saw a seven per cent like-for-like increase in sales at existing shops during January, as well as a jump of 23 per cent over the past six months.
Mr Bason said that despite the decline of retailers such as HMV, Blockbuster and Jessops, the high street still has a future in retail.
"I would be amazed if anybody is calling the end of the high street," he explained.
"The shape of the high street will change, but as it always has done."
And he also insisted that while online shopping may have eroded the market share of some brands, others will continue to perform strongly.
"People go to the high street for clothing. Clearly value clothing, particularly Primark, has become a much stronger feature of the high street than before. In Western Europe, people are careful with the way they spend but Primark is offering such great value it is continuing to benefit," he added.
As the high street continues to battle with the ecommerce sector, it appears that those companies which are able to adapt to the changing nature of the consumer sphere will be able to perform well outside of online retail.
And that means that the demand for retail space is not likely to continue, as commercial properties are always going to be required by budding entrepreneurs looking for somewhere to base their business.
This is why so many people invest in this area of the property market, looking for ways to earn a profit and take advantage of demand for office and retail units.
Indeed, while the commercial property sector is not booming at the moment, investors are being urged to look for assets in flourishing areas as observers predict that conditions will improve in the coming years.