The line graph delineates the fluctuations in the number of shop closures and openings in a specific country over the period from 2011 to 2018.
Overall, the data reveals a persistent disparity between shop closures and openings, with the former consistently surpassing the latter, except in the years 2013 and 2014, which marked significant exceptions.
In 2011, the number of shop closures stood at approximately 5,400, while openings were notably higher at around 5,900, delineating an initial trend of net openings. However, the subsequent year, 2012, witnessed a rise in closures to about 7,300, accompanied by a decline in openings to approximately 5,600. The year 2013 experienced a remarkable turnaround, with shop openings surging to around 7,000, although this period was marked by a concurrent count of closures at approximately 6,900—thus, for this brief interlude, openings surpassed closures. In 2014, shop closures again increased to 8,000, while openings marginally decreased to around 6,900, highlighting a reversion to the prevailing trend.
The year 2015 was particularly significant, as it recorded the highest number of shop closures at an alarming 8,000, whilst openings plummeted to approximately 3,200—a stark contrast to previous years. Following this drastic downturn, the number of closures diminished to 4,600 in 2016, coinciding with a resurgence in openings to around 5,500. The recovery continued into 2017, with shop openings slightly increasing to about 5,800 and closures experiencing minimal growth to 5,400. By 2018, closures further escalated to approximately 6,600, while openings reached 6,300, thereby concluding the period with a notable yet less pronounced gap between openings and closures.