Businesses close all the time but the list of those we have lost this year makes for very bleak reading.
Dreams dashed, debts run up and people out of work, the loss of any firm is a tragedy on many levels.
Companies have suffered a relentless squeeze since the pandemic in 2020. It was followed by Brexit-related shortages, and a cost of living crisis which saw spiralling inflation and soaring energy bills.
Reasons for closure are many and varied - here we take a sober look at the pubs, restaurants and firms that pulled down the shutters for the last time in 2023.
Companies have suffered a relentless squeeze since the pandemic in 2020. It was followed by Brexit-related shortages, and a cost of living crisis which saw spiralling inflation and soaring energy bills.