The future of the British high street has been given new hope of survival as more and more shoppers prefer small retailers.

New data from the Office of National Statistics released today showed that sales for retailers employing more than 100 people have grown by 2.9 per cent with the growth for smaller stores being higher at 4.5 per cent.

Particularly notable is the growth for stores with 40 to 99 people as they achieved an average growth of 7.9 per cent.

Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, John Allan, said: “Increased sales for small stores means they will be able to invest in their business and local community, with many of our members taking on staff.

“Whilst the seasonal period and initiatives like Small Business Saturday have given small retailers a boost, we hope to see as increased spend with small independent firms in the longer term, to keep them confident and growing in 2014.”