The line chart illustrates the number of shops that opened and closed between 2011 and 2018.
Overall, both figures fluctuated significantly throughout the period, and both ended the period at lower levels than in 2011.
Looking at the chart more closely, there was not much difference in the number of shop closures from 2011 to 2013. The figure fell slightly in 2012 but rose to over 7,000 in 2013. The most remarkable change occurred in 2015, when the number of closures dropped dramatically to about 1,000, which was around 6,000 fewer than in 2014. However, the figure recovered to over 5,000 in 2016 and remained at roughly the same level until 2018.
Turning to shop openings, the trend showed similar fluctuations. In 2011, around 8,500 shops opened, but this number fell sharply to below 4,000 in 2012. It then increased to more than 5,000 in 2013 and about 6,000 in 2014. Nevertheless, openings declined gradually from 2014 to 2016. Although there was a slight increase in 2017, the number fell again in 2018.
