The Meaning of Headlines: ‘closed for good’

The Guardian published an article on 2 January 2023 with the headline: Almost 50 UK shops closed for good every day in 2022, says report. What does ‘closed for good’ mean? What type of ‘good’? Who benefits – i.e., whose ‘good’ is the closure for? 

 

If something is closed, then it is not open. The Cambridge Dictionary states that if something is ‘closed for good’ it is closed for ever – for ever and ever – that means permanently. The Collins Dictionary defines ‘closed for good’ as for always; finally; permanently. 

 

Therefore, the headline of the article indicates that 50 shops in the United Kingdom closed permanently in 2022. What does the article tell the reader?

 

The sub-title, the line underneath the headline, states: ‘Centre for Retail Research says 17,145 stores shut in total, up almost 50% on 2021, during pandemic.’ It doesn’t state that the shops closed permanently though, so let’s read further.

 

The first paragraph of the article says that there are ‘shops shutting down’ but this still doesn’t confirm the permanence of the action. 

 

The second paragraph gets to the point – and does confirm permanence: ‘About 47 shops on average pulled down their shutters for the final time …’ with the next sentence using the phrase ‘closed for good.’ The fourth paragraph also contains the phrase ‘shutting up shop for good.’ Therefore, in the entire article there are three confirmations that shops are closing permanently. 

 

The article also gives reasons for the permanent closures – due to retailers going bust, cost-cutting programs, rationalization, poor performance, and the end of rate-free periods initiated during the pandemic. It ends optimistically though, with expectations of improved customer confidence and an increase in purchasing.

 

There are many words and phrases in the article that expresses closure, such as closed, shut, shutting down, shutting up, pulled down their shutters, collapsed, failure, lost, and vacant.  

 

‘Good’ in the phrase ‘closed for good’ does not mean approval, a measure of quality, well, healthy, or advantageous. Nor does it mean ‘goods’ as in merchandise or products. ‘Good’ in this case means thorough and complete. The shops are closed thoroughly and completely. 

 

Scorecard for The Guardian headline is 100%. The article connects the headline with the narrative, and the phrase ‘closed for good’ is repeated twice in the article and rephrased once with appropriateness. Additionally, it’s an interesting and clearly-written piece. 

MARTINA NICOLLS

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Martina Nicolls is an Australian author and international human rights-based consultant in education, healing and wellbeing, peace and stabilization, and foreign aid audits and evaluations. She lives in Paris.