The graph below shows the number of shops that closed and the number of new shops that opened in one country between 2011 and 2018.

The graph illustrates the

number

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of shop

closures

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and openings in one country over the period 2011–2018.

Overall

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, the

number

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of shops that opened declined sharply,

while

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closures

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fluctuated but

also

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ended the period lower than their initial level.

Although

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openings were consistently higher than

closures

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in the early years,

this

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pattern reversed after 2012. In 2011, about 8,500 shops opened, the highest level shown on the chart,

while

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closures

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stood at around 6,200. Openings

then

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fell by more than half to 4,000 in 2012 and remained below

closures

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for most of the period. After a temporary recovery to about 6,200 in 2014, the

number

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of new shops fluctuated

,

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before dropping to only 2,000 in 2018.

Closures

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showed a different trend. After a slight fall in 2012, they peaked at 7,100 in 2013,

then

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dropped dramatically to just 700 in 2015.

Following

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this

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sharp decline, the

number

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of

closures

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rose again, reaching around 5,200 in the final year.