The line graph illustrates changes in the opening and closure of shops in a specific country between 2011 and 2018.
Overall, there was a consistent decrease in both shop openings and closures over the 8-year period, with a notable decline in 2015.
In 2011, the country experienced the highest number of shop openings at approximately 8,500, which sharply decreased to around 4,000 in 2012 before gradually rising to 6,000 in 2014. Subsequently, the number of shop openings steadily declined to 3,000 by 2018. Conversely, the number of shop closures in 2011 stood at about 6,500, dropped to 6,000 in 2012, increased slightly to 7,000 in 2013, and sharply plummeted to around 500 in 2015. Despite a subsequent rise, reaching 5,000 closures, only a few hundred shops closed in 2018.
Throughout the period, shop closures outnumbered openings consistently except in 2013 and 2014. The peak closure year was 2014, with around 7,000 shops closing, while the lowest number of closures occurred in 2015 with approximately 500 closures. In contrast, 2013 saw a peak in shop openings with about 7,000 new shops, indicating a temporary shift. In 2018, both shop openings and closures were at moderate levels, with around 3,000 new shops and 6000 closures. This trend highlights the fluctuations in the country’s retail sector during the period under review.