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 line graph compares the

number

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of shop

openings

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and

closures

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in a particular country between 2011 and 2018.

Overall

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, both the

number

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of newly opened shops and those that closed declined over the period,

although

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the figures for

closures

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fluctuated much more dramatically. It is

also

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clear that

closures

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generally outnumbered

openings

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except in 2015, when shop

closures

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reached a record low. In 2011, there were approximately 8,500 new shops established, compared with about 6,300

closures

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. The

number

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of

openings

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then

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dropped sharply to around 4,000 in 2012, before recovering to just over 6,000 in 2014. After 2015, when the figure stabilised at roughly 4,000,

openings

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remained relatively unchanged until the end of the period. The

number

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of

closures

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followed a more erratic pattern. It increased slightly to 7,000 in 2012 and remained at a similar level in 2013, before plunging dramatically to only 500 in 2015.

However

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, the figure quickly rebounded to around 5,000 in 2016 and continued to fluctuate moderately, ending the period at roughly 5,000

closures

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in 2018.