The line graph illustrates the trends in shop closures and new openings in a specific country from 2011 to 2018.
Overall, it is evident that shop closures consistently surpassed openings throughout the examined period, despite notable fluctuations in both categories.
In 2011, approximately 5,000 shops closed while new openings slightly lagged behind at just under 2,000. A significant surge in closures was observed the following year, peaking at over 8,000 in 2012, during which openings remained relatively stable. From 2013 to 2016, however, a marked decline in closures was noted, declining to below 4,000, while the number of new shops opened during this timeframe escalated to over 3,000 by 2016.
The latter years of the period saw a resurgence in shop closures, which rose modestly to above 4,000 in 2017, contrasted by a decline in openings to approximately 2,500. By 2018, closures stabilised at about 4,000, with openings remaining nearly unchanged from the previous year. Notably, the year 2014 experienced a rare instance where closures and openings were almost equal, indicating a temporary equilibrium in the market.