The line graph illustrates the trends in shop closures and openings in a particular country over the period from 2011 to 2018.
Overall, the data reveals significant fluctuations in both shop closures and openings, with closures consistently outpacing openings for most years, apart from two specific periods.
In 2011, approximately 5,400 shops were closed, with a gradual increase to around 7,300 in 2012. This figure exhibited a slight decline to 6,900 in 2013, before rising to 8,000 in 2014. However, 2015 saw a notable decline to 5,800, and this trend continued with a further decrease to 4,600 in 2016. A modest increase followed, ending in 2017 with 5,400 closures, and peaking at approximately 6,600 in 2018. This data illustrates that despite temporary fluctuations, the number of shop closures demonstrated a persistent upward trajectory with a marked downturn in 2015.
In stark contrast, the number of new shop openings began at around 5,900 in 2011, subsequently declining to approximately 5,600 in 2012. A resurgence occurred in 2013, with openings increasing to around 7,000, but this was short-lived as numbers fell to 6,900 in 2014 and plummeted to about 3,200 in 2015. Following this decline, openings rose steadily to approximately 5,500 in 2016, 5,800 in 2017, and concluded at around 6,300 in 2018. Notably, the overall trend in new openings showcased a recovery towards the latter years, yet the consistently higher number of closures indicates a challenging market environment throughout the examined period.